The Washington Nationals were one of the worst teams in the National League East division for the first several weeks of the season.
They also finished last in the 2020 short season, tied with the New York Mets.
Destiny is odd, and now those two teams are first (Mets) and second (Nats) in 2021 before Thursday’s games.
The Nationals are streaking, winning eight of their last 10 and four straight contests.
A huge part of their recent success can be attributed to the white-hot Kyle Schwarber, who has hit 12 home runs in his last 15 games.
But as long as Max Scherzer remains effective and in a Nats uniform, they should contend with the way they are playing.
When Washington was in the last place of the division a few weeks ago, trading Scherzer was an idea that was surely in their minds, in case they got to the deadline still slumping.
"If they fall out of it? Yeah!"
Could the Mets target Max Scherzer if the Nationals drop in the standings ahead of the trade deadline? @CartonRoberts break it down 👀 pic.twitter.com/RhC7E0rfvn
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 23, 2021
The opposite has happened, and now Washington is only two games behind the Mets for the division lead.
That being the case, here is why the Nats would be wise to keep Scherzer.
2. They Are Back In The Race Now
As we said, the Nationals are looking like contenders again.
Trading Scherzer doesn’t make sense now because he is easily a top five starter in the NL when healthy.
A contending team should be trying to hold on to assets, or acquire them, not give them away.
If Washington was last and far from the lead, then dealing Scherzer would make all the sense in the world because his contract will end after the season.
He is having a great season even at 36 years old, with a 2.14 ERA in 88.1 frames.
He has struck out 35.4 percent of the batters he has faced.
Aside from Jacob deGrom and perhaps Kevin Gausman, few NL starters have been as dominant as Scherzer.
The Nats are back in the divisional race, and keeping Scherzer will allow them to make one last run at the title they won in 2019 with Scherzer leading the rotation.
Without him, the Nats’ rotation would have too many questions to be taken seriously as contenders.
1. He Is The Face Of The Franchise
Scherzer has been with the Nationals for seven seasons, and in that time, he has established himself as one of the faces of the franchise and the best pitcher.
Losing him would represent a huge blow for the franchise, even if he is old and will be a free agent after the season.
The decision of trading him would have been somewhat justified if the Nats were out of the race.
But with Washington only two games out of first place and peaking at the right time, that idea should be thrown out of the window.
Scherzer is also one of the clubhouse leaders and a respected figure around the league.
He wants the best for the franchise and has said that he isn’t opposed to being traded if that’s what Washington wants, but he would need the acquiring team to sign him to an extension.
Report here from @GDubCub that Scott Boras says Max Scherzer would want an extension from a team looking to trade for him at the deadline. Scherzer’s 10/5 rights make it so he has to approve anybody deal. https://t.co/wiTtTEe4e2
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) June 25, 2021
Without a question, Washington is a better team with him on the mound and on the roster, and since they appear to be fighting for a postseason spot, keeping him should be a no-brainer.
They may risk losing him for nothing, but if you run an MLB team, there is little sense in trading one of your best performers and leaders when you worked so hard to get back to contention.
NEXT: Why Kyle Schwarber Is Right To Avoid Home Run Derby