Astros: 3 aces Houston can trade for following Lance McCullers injury update

Astros trade target No. 1: Mets ace Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer is a match made in heaven for the Houston Astros. Scherzer and the Astros have a winning mentality in common.

Both the franchise and the 38-year-old ace are career-long winners that have won World Series over the last decade. There are few pitchers with the killer instinct and winner’s mentality that Scherzer dons. There aren’t any franchises that have had more success than Houston over the last 10 years.

But this trade idea comes with a big “if”. Scherzer will only be traded if the Mets become sellers at the trade deadline. The Mets very well could see potential in righting their ship this season or next, causing Scherzer to stay in New York this year. That isn’t the only roadblock though. Scherzer has a full no-trade clause in his contract, meaning he could block a trade to any team in the MLB, including the Astros if he wished. The trade would have to make sense for New York, Houston, and Scherzer.

If the stars are able to align for the Astros, Max Scherzer gives them the most proven option out of the bunch. While his 2023 has been pedestrian, October baseball is a completely different animal. Scherzer has started 22 postseason games and has a sub-4.00 ERA in them.