The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays will square off for an intriguing three-game series at T-Mobile Park this weekend.
As Seattle has surged to first place in the American League West, the Blue Jays have stagnated in third in the AL East. It’s a pressurized season for both teams, for entirely different reasons, but by late July, each should have an idea of where their season is headed.
Last year, the Blue Jays wound up selling off veterans at the trade deadline. They certainly don’t want to do so again, but if they do, Seattle seems like a team that would be desperate enough for veteran talent to offer major prospect capital that Toronto could really use.
And when it comes to veteran talent, few players could be more desirable than future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.
On Friday, FanSided’s Zachary Rymer named Scherzer among a handful of Blue Jays players that the Mariners could conceivably acquire at the trade deadline, provided, of course, that Toronto has fallen into a hole in the standings from which they cannot recover.
“Whether the Mariners will need a starter depends on whether Logan Gilbert and George Kirby can hang in there after returning from the injured list, as well as on whether the injury bug finally leaves the rotation alone,” Rymer wrote.
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“If not, (Scherzer) would be (a sensible target). (He) has played in three World Series, the kind of experience the Mariners have an obvious reason to cherish.”
Scherzer, 40, is currently on the 60-day injured list, so he won’t be able to return to game action until May 26 at the earliest. The good news is that he was facing live hitters earlier this week, so a long rehab stint might not be required.
Obviously, Scherzer at his peak was a superstar, and he’s still been effective in recent years when he’s been healthy enough to pitch. But the Mariners would have to be careful about what they choose to give up if they make such a deal, and the Blue Jays would therefore have to feel confident their playoff chase was over.
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