Despite sitting first in the AL East, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wants to make his team even more of a powerhouse, and he's apparently willing to go all-in.

Cashman would do "whatever it takes" to acquire Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer before the July 31 trade deadline, a Yankees source told SNY's John Harper.

Scherzer has made at least 30 starts in 10 straight seasons, winning three Cy Young Awards along the way, and owns a career ERA of 3.19.

The consensus opinion around baseball, however, is that the Nationals won't make the 34-year-old right-hander available.

"No chance," a person in the Nationals organization recently told Harper. "Even if (GM Mike) Rizzo wanted to do it, ownership wouldn't let him. They want Scherzer to be their first Hall of Famer."

While New York's rotation already ranks fourth in the AL with a 3.97 ERA, it's missing Luis Severino and Domingo German, along with depth pieces Jordan Montgomery and Jonathan Loaisiga.

Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner recently said the organization would be willing to surpass the highest luxury-tax threshold ($246 million) to make an "over the top move," according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post.

However, while New York had been loosely linked to Scherzer with the Nationals scuffling early in the season, Washington has crept back into playoff contention thanks to a recent 17-7 stretch.

Scherzer has pitched well lately, too, allowing four earned runs in his last six starts, which included seven shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, during which he struck out 10 with a broken nose.