“Your name has come up as trade bait again. You wouldn’t waive your no-trade (clause) again, would you?” analyst and former longtime catcher A.J. Pierzynski asked Scherzer. “I know you guys are playing better, but let’s say things don’t continue to go up. Would you waive your no-trade again? What is it three times in four years?”
“Yeah, I’m not going to do that, but I just don’t think I’m going to have to think about that,” the eight-time All-Star said. “I think we’re gonna play better baseball. It’s gonna be a moot point to even talk about, so, I think we’re gonna win here.”
Now with his sixth team, Scherzer is one of the best pitchers of the 21st century who could now be considered a journeyman. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is in his 17th season and has spent no more than six full campaigns with one organization.
Scherzer was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 11th overall pick in 2006, made his MLB debut in 2008 and was traded to the Detroit Tigers in a three-team blockbuster in December 2009. Three-time All-Star outfielder Curtis Granderson was sent from Detroit to the New York Yankees in the deal.
Scherzer played the next five years with the Tigers and won his first Cy Young Award in 2014, before signing with the Washington Nationals in January 2015.
He was with the Nationals longer than any other franchise, making five straight NL All-Star teams from 2015-2019, earning back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2016 and 2017 and winning his first World Series title in 2019. Scherzer was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers with two-time All-Star Trea Turner midway through the 2021 campaign on July 30 for a package of prospects and minor-leaguers and signed with the New York Mets in December that year.
After an early playoff exit in 2022 and a disastrous start to 2023, the Mets traded the now-39-year-old to the Rangers with cash in exchange for minor league infielder Luisangel Acuna (one of Ronald Acuna Jr.’s younger brothers) on July 30.
Scherzer went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 45 innings pitched covering eight regular season starts in Texas before being shut down in mid-September due to a teres major strain.
He returned for the playoffs and made three starts (including two in the ALCS and one in the World Series) before being shut down again because of back pain. Scherzer had offseason surgery on a herniated disc and didn’t make his 2024 debut until June 23.
The right-hander is 1-2 and has allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 19 hits with three walks and 17 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings pitched across four starts this summer.
The Rangers (44-48) have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season and are 5.5 games behind the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners but have won five in a row. Texas enters Wednesday seven games behind the Boston Red Sox (50-40) for the third AL wild card spot.