Giants reportedly interested in Max Scherzer

Well, that would be very interesting.

The MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, with baseball’s 30 teams having until 1:00 p.m. PT on Friday, July 30 to shore up their rosters before the final postseason push.

There are a few big names that are being shopped around this week, but none bigger than Max Scherzer. The three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star is set to become a free agent at season’s end, and the Washington Nationals are hoping to get some value for him rather than letting him walk for nothing.

Enter the San Francisco Giants. The Giants entered deadline week with baseball’s top record, but also in a funny predicament: they want to get better for a playoff run, but their timeline has been accelerated such that they’re probably hesitant to give away future assets for a rental.

But they’re interested, as they should be.

According to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, the Giants are one of eight teams known to be calling the Nationals about a Scherzer trade.

The Giants being in on Scherzer is the good news. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres — teams who are likely to be more comfortable parting with top prospects to land a player this year — are also, not surprisingly, in on the action. That’s the bad news.

Scherzer has 10-and-5 rights, which means he can veto a trade to any team, though it’s been reported that he would be quick to OK a deal that sent him to the West Coast. Again: exciting and terrifying news, all at once.

It’s also been reported that Scherzer’s agent, Scott Boras, is pushing for an agreed upon extension with whatever team is trading for Scherzer, though it’s unclear if that will happen. Even if Scherzer is just seen as a rental, it will likely cost a hefty trade package to get him, though perhaps the Giants could offer to take on some additional contracts to lower the prospect price.

Scherzer has a 2.83 ERA and 3.47 FIP this season, with 142 strikeouts to 25 walks in 105 innings.