Nats trade Scherzer, Turner to highlight busy day at deadline

The Washington Nationals look very different after the trade line, as most of the team's stars are now gone.

The Nats' biggest trade at the deadline was sending Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Other moves included sending power-hitting outfielder Kyle Schwarber to the Red Sox, a move that sent catcher Yan Gomes and utilityman Josh Harrison to the A's, along with a slew of smaller deals.

The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a monster deal for an ace in Scherzer alongside All-Star shortstop Trea Turner, getting the dynamic duo from the Washington Nationals shortly before Friday's trade deadline.

Washington acquired a pair of rookies, right-hander Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz, and two minor leaguers, righty Gerardo Carrillo and outfielder Donovan Casey.

Scherzer had been given permission to speak to the Dodgers to see if he would waive his right to veto any trade, a power he had as a 10-year veteran who has been with his team for at least five years.

"Today is heart wrenching as we say goodbye to two of the most accomplished players and two of the best people in our team's history," Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in a statement.

The deal came with the Dodgers three games behind NL West-leading San Francisco. Los Angeles owns the top spot in the wild-card race, 2 1/2 games ahead of San Diego.

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline at 4 p.m. EDT, there had been speculation on Thursday that the Padres would be the winners in the Scherzer sweepstakes.

Instead, the Dodgers got real busy. They made a trade early in the day for longtime Kansas City left-handed starter Danny Duffy, then closed in on Scherzer, the biggest prize in this deadline frenzy.

Scherzer is 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts this season, and also started the All-Star Game for the National League this month.

Scherzer posted a win for the Nationals on Thursday, when he pitched six innings of one-run ball at Philadelphia in the first game of a doubleheader.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star, Scherzer joins a deep and talented pitching staff that includes Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Julio Urías, David Price and more.

Scherzer has a $35 million salary in the final season of a $210 million, seven-year contract and can become a free agent after the World Series. No doubt, the Dodgers are looking right now at far they can go this year with Mad Max on their side.

Turner is a force all over the field, batting .322 with 18 home runs and 49 RBs, along with 21 stolen bases.

Turner is currently out of action after testing positive for COVID-19. He singled and scored in the first inning at Philadelphia on Tuesday night, then was pulled from the game.

The 28-year-old Turner was All-Star for the first time this season. He tied a major league record by hitting for the cycle for the third time in his career, doing it last month on his birthday.

Turner is a career .300 hitter in seven seasons who also has started in center field and second base in the majors. That would certainly appeal to the Dodgers, who employ a lot of versatile players.

He is earning $13 million this season, is eligible for arbitration next winter and can become a free agent after the 2022 World Series.

The Boston Red Sox got an All-Star slugger in Schwarber from the Nationals for a minor league pitcher late Thursday night.

The trade was announced after the AL East-leading Red Sox lost to Toronto 13-1 at Fenway Park. Boston is 1 1/2 games ahead of Tampa Bay.

Schwarber had just finished a historic homer barrage when he strained his right hamstring on July 2. The left-handed hitter has been on the injured list since then, but could be playing again within a couple weeks.

The 28-year-old outfielder was off to a smashing start in his first season with Washington, hitting 25 home runs with 53 RBIs in 72 games. He was chosen as an All-Star for the first time, but unable to play in the showcase event.

Schwarber tied a major league record by hitting 12 home runs in a 10-game span from June 19-29. He also set a record for a leadoff hitter for homers in a month, connecting 15 times to start games in June.

With Boston, Schwarber could see time in the outfield and also at designated hitter, where J.D. Martinez usually fills the role for the Red Sox.

Schwarber joined the Nationals on a $10 million, one-year contract after six seasons with the Chicago Cubs. In 2016, he played only two games in the regular season after a severe knee injury, then came back to help the Cubs win the World Series by going 7 for 17 (.412) in five games.

The Red Sox sent right-hander Aldo Ramirez to Washington. The 20-year-old Ramirez was 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA in eight starts for Low-A Salem.

The Washington Nationals kept wheeling and dealing, trading Gomes and Harrison to the Oakland Athletics for three minor leaguers on Friday.

Gomes has had a resurgent year as the Nationals' starting catcher, batting .271 with nine homers and 35 RBIs in 63 games. Harrison batted .294 with six homers and 38 RBIs in 90 games.

Oakland dealt catcher Drew Millas and right-handers Richard Guasch and Seth Shuman to Washington. The Nationals sent cash to Oakland to complete the deal.

The 23-year-old Guasch went 1-4 with a 4.67 ERA in 13 appearances for High-A Lansing this season. Shuman, also 23, went 2-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 13 appearances for Lansing. The switch-hitting Millas batted .255 in 59 games for Lansing.

The new-look Nationals also traded right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson to the San Diego Padres, acquiring right-hander Mason Thompson and shortstop Jordy Barley.

San Diego announced the deal late Thursday night out West. Hudson is 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA over 31 outings and 32 2/3 innings, and the Padres will count on him down the stretch as they sit in third place in a tight NL West race behind the San Francisco Giants and the defending World Series champion Dodgers.

The Nationals completed their final trade of a dizzying sell-off, sending veteran left-hander Jon Lester to the St. Louis Cardinals at Friday's deadline.

Lester becomes the second experienced lefty to join St. Louis, which also acquired J.A Happ from the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

The 37-year-old Lester was 3-5 with a 5.02 ERA in 16 starts during his first season with Washington. He has won three World Series titles in his 16-year career: two with Boston and one with the Chicago Cubs.

The Cardinals entered Friday at .500 and trailing first-place Milwaukee by 9 1/2 games in the NL Central. St. Louis was 7 1/2 games behind in the NL wild-card race.

Washington acquired speedy 25-year-old outfielder Lane Thomas from St. Louis. Thomas hit .104 in 32 games for the Cardinals this season.