Report: Blue Jays Among 8 Teams in on Max Scherzer

He's available and everyone wants him.

The Blue Jays are among eight teams known to be interested in Washington Nationals starter Max Scherzer, per The Athletic's Jayson Stark. The Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Red Sox, Rays, Astros and Mets are reportedly also in on Scherzer.

These are the 8 teams known to be in on Max Scherzer, via multiple sources:

Dodgers
Giants
Padres
Red Sox
Rays
Blue Jays
Astros
Mets

Also heard Yankees checked in & were told he was unlikely to OK a trade there. Mets could be a long shot for the same reason.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 27, 2021

The 37-year-old right-hander is in the midst of yet another casually spectacular season. Through 18 starts, he's posted a 2.83 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and is striking out 12.2 batters per nine. Of note, Scherzer was scratched from his last start with "triceps discomfort."

Scherzer would fetch a high price in any deadline deal—meaning one or more high-level prospects—but there's an additional wrinkle in any trade involving the eight-time All-Star. Scherzer has 10-and-5 rights (10 years of major-league service time, with five years on the same team) and can veto any trade he doesn't approve of.

According to Stark's tweet, the Yankees were told Scherzer was unlikely to approve a trade to their club—putting the Mets and potentially a team like Toronto on the fringes.

It's certainly a longshot for the Blue Jays, especially with Scherzer's reported preference to play on the West Coast, but the interest alone is encouraging for a Toronto team that hasn't seen a deadline deal for a top-notch starting pitcher since David Price's acquisition in 2015.

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