Another West Coast team has reportedly entered the race to try and land Nationals ace Max Scherzer ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are reportedly the front-runners at the moment, but they’re not alone. According to baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Angels have entered the picture as they try and finally make a splash and land an elite starting pitcher – a quest they’ve struck out on time and time again over the years.
Per Heyman, the Angels are “quite a long shot,” but it’s still a bit too early to rule them out. They’re going to have a tough time beating out the Dodgers and Padres though, seeing that both are actual World Series contenders. The Angels are still a ways away, given the obvious holes in their pitching staff.
It’d sure be fun to watch an Angels rotation with Scherzer and Shohei Ohtani. But the Dodgers and Padres have the leg-up here.
Mystery team has shown interest in Max Scherzer. But this time I’ll end the mystery: It’s the Angels. That would make 3 Southern California teams in on Max. Of course, with the Angels only on the cusp of the race, they seem like quite a long shot. Padres and Dodgers more likely.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 29, 2021
Angels pitching has been an issue for some time now. They’re extremely fortunate Ohtani turned into the superstar he is this season. The rest of the Angels’ staff is bleak, to say the least.
It’s also worth mentioning the Angels are 11 games back of the Houston Astros for first in the AL West. Why would Scherzer go to the Angels when he could, instead, join a legitimate contender? Unless he’s itching to play with Ohtani and perhaps Mike Trout, it’s a longshot.
Regardless, Angels GM Perry Minasian is going after the Nationals ace. He has less than 24 hours to make a worthwhile pitch.
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