Report: Eight-time All-Star righty Max Scherzer 'being discussed in potential trades'

The Nationals have long been one of the more stubborn teams in terms of maintaining the opportunity for contention, and that’s no less true this season. But with the Nationals' playoff odds currently at 2.2 percent per FanGraphs, eight-time All-Star righty Max Scherzer is “being discussed in potential trades,” per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network.

Heyman makes no specific mention of the Nats’ decision-makers, however, and even if GM Mike Rizzo were open to moving the future Hall of Famer, he’d still need to get the OK from owner Mark Lerner. Historically, trading off pieces of any kind has been a tough sell to Lerner, let alone Scherzer, whom the club has long envisioned as the centerpiece of the organization.

Heyman is no doubt right that Scherzer’s availability would reshape the trade market. He would be far and away the most impactful pitcher available. The 36-year-old shows no signs of slowing down with a 2.83 ERA through 105 innings this season.