The Texas Rangers acquired star right-hander Max Scherzer, 39, from the New York Mets in a trade Saturday, fortifying their rotation for
a World Series run as the dismantling of the disappointing Mets continues, sources told ESPN.

While a tentative deal was struck earlier in the day, it was contingent on Scherzer waiving a no-trade clause. One day after expressing frustration over the Mets' trade of closer David Robertson, Scherzer approved the deal to Texas, where he'll join the AL West-leading Rangers, who at 60-44 are two games ahead of the Houston Astros.

The Rangers have the highest-scoring offense in baseball but went into trade-deadline season hoping to add to their pitching after their highest-profile free agent addition, Jacob deGrom, underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in June. They dealt for Scherzer despite his Major League Baseball-high annual salary of $43.3 million -- and the potential for him to opt out of the final year of his contract following this season.