NY Mets rumors: 3 Max Scherzer trade destinations if he waives his no-trade clause

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Max Scherzer is a popular player all of a sudden with the latest New York Mets rumors suggesting he could waive his no-trade clause.

Just to get ahead of this, because I'm seeing my words in today's newsletter twisted: I never reported that Max Scherzer is *definitely* open to waiving his no-trade clause. Just that if things go sideways, folks think it's possible. His absolute priority is to win with the Mets.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 28, 2023

It’s not the ending he signed up for upon joining the Mets ahead of the 2022 season. Scherzer came here to win with a second franchise following his long-awaited World Series title with the Washington Nationals in 2019. Who else feels like that was a lifetime ago?

The more the team from Queens fails, the more Mets rumors about where Scherzer could get traded will fester. To take a tip from Anthony DiComo, it may be weeks before the trade deadline but already these three clubs appear to need and have the assets to take on Scherzer most.

1) NY Mets rumors: The Reds need a pitcher like Max Scherzer in the rotation

The Cincinnati Reds are probably going to win the National League Central with the littlest amount of help from the front office. This club was built to be better than it was last year but they’ve suddenly become a whole lot better than anyone could have imagined. The starting pitching is one of their weaknesses. They could use an arm like Scherzer’s.

The Reds are a destination because they check off the boxes. The need exists. They have the payroll space. They have enough prospect capital to convince the Mets to make the move. The Mets aren’t in any desperate situation where they must trade Scherzer away. Unless someone is willing to give them good player, they might as well eat the money and try again next year with a better-built roster around him.

Scherzer has been less than expected, but he’s hardly the biggest problem with the 2023 season.

The likeliness of the Reds doing this, however, seems slim. Despite having a player option for next season, Scherzer is a one-year piece because of his age and how much he has fallen off this year. Still a capable starting pitcher for a hopeful contender, the Reds are better off finding a guy like Luis Castillo. Any chance the Seattle Mariners trade him back to the Reds?

The 5.88 ERA by Reds starts ranks 28th in MLB. They need a mega-boost.

2) NY Mets rumors: The Diamondbacks are a starting pitcher short in the rotation

After Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, there isn’t much to like about the Arizona Diamondbacks starting rotation. They’ve inexplicably become one of the better teams in the National League. It was easy to see from last year’s performance how they could trend upward, but are they really this good?

A deathblow to the rest of the National League West could be the coming-home party for Scherzer. Before landing with the Detroit Tigers and making a name for himself, Mad Max was a member of the Diamondbacks. Returning to Arizona in a trade is definitely something the D’Backs should have in mind.

The Diamondbacks would be a good team for the Mets to become trade partners with because of their good mix of young prospects and controllable young position players. Younger arms such as Ryne Nelson, Tommy Henry, or Drey Jameson could be assets for the Mets. They wouldn’t be trading Scherzer to blow it all up. Dealing Scherzer is a reset button.

The Diamondbacks could be a match for a few more of the possible Mets trade targets. Tommy Pham would be a solid pickup to join their outfield mix and maybe even take over a more regular role there and the DH spot. Adding Scherzer would feel like a little bit of history repeated the same way the Diamondbacks went out and added Curt Schilling. They didn’t win it all immediately but it turned out to be the right move.

This staff's 4.66 ERA is 22nd in MLB.

3) NY Mets rumors: The Orioles have the prospects to part with for Max Scherzer

So the Baltimore Orioles looked like they had a dud of an offseason and yet here we are talking about Mets rumors and them sending Max Scherzer to Baltimore. Their starting pitching staff is nothing fantastic. Offense has led the way with Tyler Wells being their most useful starting pitcher.

Scherzer would be the kind of addition by the O’s to put them over the top, as long as they’re getting the Dr. Jekyll version. In a division like the American League East, even with the more balanced schedule, you’re going to lose more games than your time might if they played in the American League Central where a .500 team might end up taking the division.

The Orioles don’t have a high payroll and have an arguably better group of players for the Mets to choose from. The minor leagues and even the majors offer plenty of choices. He’d add an infusion of veteran experience to a team that might end up getting stopped in the postseason because they don’t have that anchor who has been through the ringer before. He’s definitely a good match for the Orioles. The question would be how much of the salary are the O’s willing to take on?

The Orioles starting pitchers have a 4.58 ERA through their first 78 games.

The thing about trading Scherzer is the Mets need to get something useful in return. This isn’t a pure salary dump move. It’s the kind of trade to make only if you feel like your organization gets better once the turning of the head and coughing is all over.

It’s going to take some sort of a drastic change by the Mets in the next few weeks for them to not shop Scherzer around. If he truly is willing to waive the no-trade clause, these three teams and the rest of the pool hoping to win a championship in 2023 are only a phone call away.

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