The Nationals are fourth in the NL East with a 45-51 record. With Washington having little opportunity to make the playoffs this season, it appears the club is thinking about making a significant change this summer.
According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Max Scherzer is being discussed in potential trades leading up to the July 30 deadline. The news comes after MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported last month that the Nationals might be willing to listen to trade offers for the veteran pitcher.
Max Scherzer* is being discussed in potential trades, and while the Nats (famous for ‘19 WS comeback win) are investigating both buy/sell scenarios, they are 7 games back and a Scherzer trade suddenly seems quite possible. He alone would transform thin SP market. *has veto rights
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 24, 2021
Trading Scherzer could be difficult for Washington. He has a full no-trade clause, which began in 2019. In addition, his agent has already said any team trading for the three-time Cy Young winner needs to first guarantee him a contract extension.
Scherzer is in the final year of his seven-year, $210 million deal with the Nationals and will be a free agent after the 2021 campaign. The St. Louis native has been one of Washington's best pitchers this season and without question the Nationals' ace since his arrival in D.C., so it's not hard to see why the Nats are hesitant to move him.
The 36-year-old is 7-4 this season with a 2.83 ERA, 0.886 WHIP and 142 strikeouts in 105 innings over 18 starts. He has also tossed one complete game this year.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates brutally fumbled the 2025 trade deadline, even by their miserable standards. But it wasn't just the fact that their moves made little sense and did nothing to improve the short-term and long-term outlook of the franchise. It is also now about the way they handled the trade involving closer David Bednar going to the New York Yankees. Bednar revealed on Friday night during an interview with YES Network that he only found out about the trade on social media, and it took a phone call to his agent and quite a bit of time before he got the actual confirmation that he was going to the Yankees. On one hand, this is not entirely unheard of. Sometimes trade news breaks early due to a leak within somebody's front office, and on trade deadline day, teams can have their hands full trying to make deals before they run out of time. Sometimes things slip through the cracks. But it still seems like poor form for the Pirates not to have their ducks in a row when it comes to informing their player about a trade. Especially, in this case, a player like Bednar. Not only has he been one of the few bright spots on the Pirates over the past five years, but he is also from the Pittsburgh area and fully embraced being a Pirate. He loved it. He loved playing there. He wanted to play there and seemed open to staying. That is not an easy thing to find, given where the franchise has been and how consistently bad it has been over the past four decades. Outside of a tough 2024 season and some early struggles this season, he was also a wildly popular player among the fans. The Pirates also knew that to the point where owner Bob Nutting reportedly blocked a potential Bednar trade a couple of years ago. A player with that sort of standing within the organization should not have to find out about being traded through social media. They should certainly not have to have their agent track down official sources to confirm it. For most teams, and if this sort of situation were taking place in a vacuum, it may not be that big of a deal. It would probably be just a minor slip-up and footnote to the trade deadline. But the Pirates are not a normal team, and this situation is not happening in a vacuum. The Pirates have spent the entire season creating self-inflicted PR nightmares all over the place, from the Roberto Clemente tribute that was taken door for a hard seltzer ad, to the handling of Bucco Bricks outside of PNC Park, to "Sell the team" chants consistently breaking out, to the simple fact the organization has been an absolute mess on the field and one of the worst teams in baseball. Now they can add allowing a popular, fan favorite to find out about his trade through social media to the list. Even worse for Pirates fans, they seemed to get the worst value for their All-Star closer than other teams (specifically the A's and Minnesota Twins) received for their All-Star closers. This is a franchise that just simply can not do anything right.
Tyreek Hill was just trying to be a good teammate, but his Miami Dolphins colleague didn't care for the message. On Friday, Hill gave a meaty performance during his media availability, broaching subjects from his mastery of the offense this year to saying he agreed with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that he needed to be a better leader on the Dolphins for the upcoming season. Then he took a shot at running back De'Von Achane. He suggested the Dolphins keep the 5-foot-9, 191-pound back off the field in third-and-short situations. "Take (Achane) out on 3rd-down," Hills told reporters, via the Dolphins. "What? That's my honest opinion. If it's third-and-short, he's not a power back. I've been telling him that in the locker room... I love De'Von, but If I'm being honest, that's why you got Jaylen Wright, that's why you got Ollie Gordon." Achane responded to Hill giving his opinion to the media. "That's how you feel," Achane wrote with a laughing emoji. Achane rushed for 907 yards and six touchdowns on 203 carries last season. That's an average of 4.5 yards per rush. The Dolphins' backfield as a whole struggled in the run game last season, averaging a pedestrian 105.6 rushing yards per contest. Achane certainly didn't thrive on third-and-short, but Hill's comments feel unnecessary. Last season, Hill caught 81 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns — his worst production since 2019, when he missed four games due to injury. Is Hill ready to admit that he's washed? Miami's offense was bad, and it didn't help that Tagovailoa missed time due to a concussion. Defenses took advantage of the Dolphins' limited and discombobulated offense last season. Miami's training-camp news conferences are becoming a concern. Hopefully for the team, Achane won't take the slight from Hill too personally.
Khan has openly said he will never pass up the chance to explore opportunities that could improve the team. On Friday, news broke that Parsons requested a trade out of Dallas. While the possibility of landing Parsons remains a long shot, this request provides Khan with a rare window to investigate whether there’s a way to bring one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers to Pittsburgh. Earlier in February 2025, Parsons spoke with former Steelers cornerback turned analyst Bryant McFadden about the Steelers. During the conversation, McFadden joked that the Steelers logo would look good on Parsons. Parsons responded playfully, saying he would love to play for Mike Tomlin, adding fuel to the speculation that a move to Pittsburgh might not be completely out of the question. "Nah, I rock with the Steelers," Parsons said. "I said if I ever return home it was going to be Pittsburgh. I mess with Mike Tomlin the long way." It’s no secret that Tomlin is one of the most popular head coaches in the NFL. Many players have expressed a strong desire to play for him, and that reputation has sometimes helped the Steelers attract top talent. A prime example of this is when the Steelers convinced four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers to join the team, a move that energized the fanbase and boosted expectations. The idea of Parsons lining up alongside TJ Watt and the rest of Pittsburgh’s elite defense is both thrilling and intimidating. While it remains a very far-fetched possibility, Parsons’ recent comments about wanting to play for the Steelers have sparked excitement among fans. These remarks, made in 2025, add fuel to the speculation that a trade could be in the cards, even if the odds are slim. Parsons, who grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, shared a message on social media Friday explaining what really led to his trade request. If Parsons has any influence over his next destination, and if Khan can work his magic, the Steelers might just have a slim but real chance to pull off a trade. Landing Parsons would instantly make Pittsburgh’s defense one of the most fearsome in NFL history, though it remains an ambitious long shot. Steelers Chances Of Trading For Micah Parsons Are Low While the thought of Parsons playing in the black and gold for the 2025 season is certainly exciting, the logistics would be very complex, though not impossible. Parsons is clearly unhappy with the Cowboys, and Jerry Jones has not helped their chances of keeping him satisfied. He officially wants out, and now is the time for Khan to see if there’s any logical way to pull off a crazy trade.
The New York Knicks aren't waiting for the offseason drama surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to end before taking care of a key signing for their roster this summer. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Knicks signed Mikal Bridges to a four-year deal worth $150M on Thursday. "New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $150 million contract extension with the franchise, agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN," Charania posted on X. "The new deal includes a player option for 2029-30 and a trade kicker." Bridges' extension might not have happened if the Knicks believed they had a serious shot to land an elite player in a trade this summer. Per Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire, the Knicks made their decision to sign Bridges to a new deal after they learned Antetokounmpo plans to stay in Milwaukee. "The New York Knicks got intel that Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t request a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks before signing Mikal Bridges to an extension, an NBA source told Hoops Wire on Thursday," Mathur wrote. "...The Knicks would have pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo had the two-time MVP requested a trade from the Bucks. All signs point toward Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee." Due to the player option Bridges has in his new deal, the guard cannot be traded for at least six months. Mathur's report signals the reality that New York wants to land another star to pair with Jalen Brunson. However, the Knicks might not make a big splash until the trade deadline next year. The Knicks need a big man who can score and play defense at a high level in the playoffs, something Karl-Anthony Towns was unable to do in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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