Yankees Rumors: Max Scherzer halted trade to NYY’s division rival

The New York Yankees came away from the MLB trade deadline as serious winners, as they acquired the likes of Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo, two power-hitting lefties and plus defenders who will bring needed versatility to the club’s righty-dominated lineup.

For as much as GM Brian Cashman flexed his negotiating muscles, however, it didn’t all go smoothly for the Yankees before the 4 p.m. ET cutoff on Friday.

After all, seemingly every contender in AL, including the Astros, Rays, White Sox and Red Sox, got better.

In the NL, meanwhile, the Dodgers, projected to be the only team standing in the Yankees’ way  from winning a championship this year before the season started, spent like drunken sailors, adding veteran ace Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trea Turner from the Nationals.

Speaking of Scherzer, there were conflicting reports about where he’d ultimately end up. As it turns out, the three-time Cy Young almost landed in the Yankees’ division.

However, per a report from MLB.com, he turned it down and pushed a trade to the Dodgers.

Max Scherzer did NOT want to be traded to the AL East.

You simply love to hear it, though it’s unclear which team had a deal in place to net Scherzer. We know the Yankees showed interest, but Scherzer either didn’t view them as a contender, or his well-documented intentions to be traded to the NL West took precedence.

The Red Sox were rumored to be in on the Scherzer sweepstakes, but ultimately settled for Nationals slugger Kyle Schwarber instead. What about the Rays? They were certainly looking to add pieces at the deadline, but going all out just to loan Scherzer isn’t in their DNA.

That would leave the Blue Jays, who grossly overpaid for Jose Berrios, so perhaps they acted out of panic after Scherzer turned down the idea of playing for them? It’s certainly more feasible compared to Boston and Tampa, but it’d be wrong to jump to conclusions.

The bottom line is that the Yankees lucked out BIG time here. Unless they face off against the Dodgers in the World Series, New York will avoid facing Scherzer the rest of the way. If you asked us, that’s a valid reason to celebrate. Could you imagine if he ended up in the AL East?

Let’s just say Mad Max looks great in Dodger blue.

For those who haven’t counted, the Yankees have 16 (!) games remaining against the Blue Jays (seven), Rays (three) and Red Sox (three). With New York fighting for their playoff lives, having to go to battle against Scherzer multiple times would be a recipe for disaster.

That doesn’t even rule out the Yankees being matched up against one of their division rivals in October. The list of “what ifs” is truly endless. Time for fans to breathe a massive sigh of relief…and laugh at their rivals for also getting spurned by Scherzer.

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