The Dodgers are expected to acquire Max Scherzer, Tria Turner

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8:06 p.m.: Outfield detective Donovan Casey is also involved in the deal, according to Rosenthal, who reports that another minor player is expected.

7:50 p.m.: Scherzer is willing to concede his right not to trade to facilitate a deal to Los Angeles, according to Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post (Twitter link).

7:44 p.m.: Dodgers player Josiah Gray is believed to be part of the discussions between the teams, according to MLB Network’s John Heyman (Twitter link). Meanwhile, the Padres family appears to be “moving” from their hopes of landing Scherzer, according to Asi.

7:27 p.m.: Catching Kipert Ruiz is expected to be part of the Nationals’ comeback if the deal is finalized, according to Rosenthal.

7:14 p.m.: The Dodgers are making big headway in a deal to buy superstars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal echoes Bassan’s report but adds that “hurdles remain” in getting the deal to the finish line. San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Asey points out that Padres – who are reported to be on the verge of acquiring Scherzer this afternoon – are now pessimistic about their chances of winning the three-time Cy Young award.

It’s an amazing development, one that will have massive repercussions in the National League playoff race. Scherzer and Turner are arguably the two biggest players in the trading market. The Dodgers getting both in an all-in deal — just a few hours after they expected their division rivals to land a Cheerszer — would be a league-changing move if the deal were pushed across the finish line.

Scherzer is one of the best shooters of his generation, and the future Hall of Famer has continued to play at a level close to the pinnacle of form. He threw 111 rounds across nineteen starts, and works on a 2.76 ERA/3.59 FIP. He gave up a few home runs (1.46 HR/9), but Scherzer’s hits and walk numbers are still among the best in the game. The eight-time All-Star hits 34.3% of hitters while distributing free passes to 6.5% of opponents. Of the newbies with over 50 runs, only Jacob Degrom, Tyler Glasno, Patrick Sandoval and Shane Bieber made swing strokes at a clip above Scherzer’s mark of 16.5%.

It is a continuation of what was a wonderful period in Washington. A seven-year deal worth $210 million was signed during the 2014-15 season, the right-hander entered today’s outing with a 2.80 ERA/2.91 FIP across 1,223 runs for the Nats. It has proven to be one of the most successful free agent investments in recent memory. Scherzer won back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards in 2016-2017. He was selected to the All-Star Game six times, with one exception due to the cancellation of last year’s festivities. And Scherzer was an integral part of the 2019 World National Championship, throwing 30 frames of 2.40 ERA balls during that year’s post-season.

Scherzer will join a tournament that already includes Walker Buehler and is soon expected to welcome back Clayton Kershaw from the injured list. This trio would make for a top three in any playoff streak, not to mention David Price and Tony Gonsulin as options for a fourth game and/or bowling action.

Of course, the Dodgers still need to boost their chances of creating a division streak for this top spin to mean a lot. They’ll almost certainly make the playoffs in some capacity, but surprisingly the Giants are still three games ahead of Los Angeles in the NL West race. Competition for the top of the division from San Francisco and Padres could leave the Dodgers staring at a one-game playoff at a wild card game. Having Scherzer would give Los Angeles another chance to start that game, while increasing their odds of winning the degree and avoiding the competition altogether.

Incredibly, Scherzer is probably the second most valuable piece of potential Dodgers ability. While he is set to hit free agency at the end of this season, Turner could be controlled next season by refereeing. The 28-year-old has been a good player since breaking into the major leagues in 2015, but has developed into a real star over the past two seasons. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Turner has racked up .327/ .378/ .546 (145 wRC+) with 30 home points and 33 stolen bases across 155 games and 679 games.

Turner is one of the few best players in the sport, even if he hasn’t made up a notable All-Star team until this season. In addition to this outstanding offense, he is one of the game’s most dangerous core players and a good defensive short. FanGraphs estimates Turner has been deserving seven wins over substitutions over the past two years, a mark that none but Fernando Tates Jr. among the center players.

A large part of Turner’s total value comes from his aforementioned ability to play the Shortstop game. It’s not entirely clear if he’ll continue to do so in Los Angeles, though, as Cory Seeger is also one of the stars of the game. Turner also has some experience running second base and midfield, and the Dodgers have never been shy about moving players around the diamonds defensively.

Seager is set to hit free dealership at the end of this season, as it will be one of the best options on the open market. The Dodgers can move Turner around the Diamond for the remainder of this season and deliver him as their usual stopping point comes in 2022 if Seeger falls elsewhere. Regardless of their long-term vision, there is no doubt that adding Turner to the roster would be a huge boon to a group of center players that are already among the top teams in the league.

Unsurprisingly, adding two of the game’s top players will cost quite a bit – both financially and from a talent perspective. Scherzer is playing this year with a hefty salary of $35 million, with just under $12 million still to be paid. Those funds are fully deferred until 2028, which is part of a broader trend for the life of his deal. While Scherzer is an imminent free agent, he will still owe $15 million each year from 2022-28 in deferments. It is not entirely clear how the citizens and the dodgers will divide these payments (assuming the trade is completed), although the majority of these obligations will certainly be paid by the citizens.

Meanwhile, Turner is earning $13 million in his penultimate year of judging. About $4.5 million of that amount still needs to be paid, with Turner’s luxury tax number equal to that amount. He will surely be entitled to a big raise this winter during his last voyage through Operation arb.

More is coming.

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