Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the sweepstakes to land Max Scherzer at the trade deadline, but they’re going to have another fight on their hands if they want to retain him once he hits free agency.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Los Angeles Angels may be a “big player” for Scherzer in free agency. The team looked into acquiring him at the trade deadline despite their status as fringe contenders, and their interest does not appear to have faded.

Scherzer had a strong preference to play on the West Coast when he was traded, so the Angels would fit geographically. However, the Dodgers are definitely closer to competing for World Series titles if that’s one of Scherzer’s main priorities.

Several other teams had trade interest in the 37-year-old Scherzer. It will be intriguing to see if any of them rekindle their interest in free agency as well.

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