Possible Yankees' Deadline Fit Reveals Decision Regarding No-Trade Clause

The third time will not be the charm for this future Hall of Fame ace pitcher.

The New York Yankees are looking for arms ahead of the trade deadline, and are calling teams about both starters and relievers.

One name that made sense for the Yankees was Max Scherzer, who has been dealt at the deadline in two of the past three summers. First, the Washington Nationals sent the three-time Cy Young winner and superstar shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster deal in 2021. And last year, the New York Mets shipped Scherzer to his current team, the Texas Rangers, for top prospect infielder Luisangel Acuna.

However, don't expect Scherzer to waive his no-trade clause to join another contender this season.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that...we're gonna play better baseball. It's gonna be a moot point to even talk about...we're gonna win here," Scherzer told former big-league catcher A.J. Pierzynski on Foul Territory.

So there you have it. Scherzer believes in his club that is 44-49, but winners of seven of their last 10 games. That said, they still remain seven games back of the final Wild Card spot in the AL.

Scherzer and the Rangers won a World Series title last season, but the team hasn't performed in the same fashion in 2024. The right-hander has a 3.09 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in four starts this year after back surgery kept him sidelined until June 23.

Whether the Rangers climb back into the race or not, Scherzer has made it clear that he has zero desire to be on the move again. He turns 40-years-old three days before the July 30 deadline, but will likely remain with Texas past this date.

The Yankees still have the sixth-best rotation ERA (3.60) in baseball, but they've really struggled in this area since June.

Ace Gerrit Cole is back from an elbow injury but still not himself after missing the first two and a half months of the season. Carlos Rodon's ERA (4.86) is hovering near 5.00 in his last 15 starts, and Marcus Stroman has a 5.30 ERA in his past 35.2 innings. Rookie phenom Luis Gil had three rough outings in a row before an electric bounce-back start against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night, and Nestor Cortes has quietly been dependable all year.

Clarke Schmidt is progressing in his rehab from a lat strain, but the recent woes of the current starting staff are hard to ignore. For that, the Yankees will look for starting pitching at the deadline, but Scherzer doesn't sound like an option anymore.