The Nationals are starting over with the Max Scherzer deal and the Mets paid a high price for Javy Baez and Trevor Williams.

Let’s get this out of the way. Former Chicago Cubs starter Trevor Williams is a placeholder for either Carlos Carrasco or Noah Syndergaard. Pick your banged-up New York Mets pitcher. That’s his value. Javy Baez is a player with a ton of talent, and he’ll play shortstop while his good friend, Francisco Lindor is on the IL. After that, he will move to third base. It bolsters the Mets lineup a lot, and it helps them immediately in the field. Not having Lindor hurt their double play frequency.

The Mets said goodbye to their first-round pick in 2020, Pete Crow-Armstrong. This Vanderbilt standout center fielder was drafted 19th overall. He’s out for the year with a shoulder injury, and this prospect features speed and terrific defensive ability. I think he was the Mets’ fourth-best prospect. I’ve seen him play and I was excited about his future with the Mets, and now he’s the crown jewel of the Baez deal. The price was high, but the Mets desperately want to win the NL East. They came into the day with a 3.5 game lead and new owner, Steven Cohen, wants to win. Let’s see how this plays out. The Cubs got a nice asset.

The Washington Nationals are Starting Over With Scherzer Deal

Max Scherzer is gone. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was on an expiring contract. He will do great things for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the defending champs. This flame-throwing righty will be in the Hall of Fame someday. Trevor Bauer, who is out of the game currently defending his name, won’t be missed. Not for a second.

Trea Turner was also in the Scherzer deal, and he may be a better shortstop than Corey Seager, who is now healthy. They’ll have to figure out how to work this. Turner recently was out with a positive Covid-19 test so that will probably delay his Dodgers debut.

Washington got Keibert Ruiz a great catching prospect. That’s solid along with pitcher, Josiah Gray, outfielder Donovan Casey, and Gerardo Carillo. The Dodgers had the prospects to give, so they got an advantage here. Turner was going to be a free agent. The Nationals were never going to be able to come to terms with him. They knew that.

The Nationals also traded recent bench coach and NL power hitter, Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox. Any return here was a bonus for them since they signed the power hitter to a one-year, $10 million dollar deal.

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Phillies Make a Low Key Great Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies traded prospect pitcher Spencer Howard to the Texas Rangers for closer Ian Kennedy and starter Kyle Gibson. The Phillies are two starters deep, three if Zach Eflin comes back soon, so they needed somebody right friggin now. Gibson was 6-3, on a bad team with a 1.18 WHIP, an All-Star this season too.

Ian Kennedy is now the Phillies closer. They’ve been searching for one. The bullpen had been a gas can all year long. Now they added the most important piece, and their next three-game series against the Mets is huge.

Howard hasn’t gone over 68 pitches this year, and he’s been largely a three-inning starter. Maybe he becomes a bullpen guy, or maybe, the Rangers figure out how to get five out of him. He has talent.

Both the Mets and Phillies can’t like the fact that the Braves got slugger Jorge Soler, who’s been hot for a short time.

The NL East just got tighter.