Max Scherzer bolsters Nationals' star-studded rotation
What do you buy the person who already has everything? For Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, the answer is Max Scherzer.
Rizzo added a third ace to his roster of All-Stars on Sunday, reportedly securing Scherzer with a seven-year, $210-million deal. In doing so, Rizzo pried open Washington's window to win even wider, despite paying top dollar for Scherzer's inevitable decline years.
That's a scary proposition for a team that won the most games in the National League last year.
And therein lies the question: Do the Nationals even need Scherzer, particularly at a record-breaking price?
With Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister entering their walk years and Stephen Strasburg under contract for just two more seasons, it's not an easy question to answer.
One thing that is certain: the Nationals' projected rotation, as currently assembled, is arguably the best in baseball.
| # | Pitcher | IP | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Scherzer | 220.1 | 252 | 3.15 |
| 2 | Stephen Strasburg | 215 | 242 | 3.14 |
| 3 | Jordan Zimmermann | 199.2 | 182 | 2.66 |
| 4 | Doug Fister | 164 | 98 | 2.41 |
| 5 | Gio Gonzalez | 158.2 | 162 | 3.57 |
The Nationals are already projected to have the fourth-highest payroll in baseball in 2015, and possible long-term extensions still loom for Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Considering the 2016 free-agent class potentially includes three (younger) front-of-the-rotation types in David Price, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto, it's fair to question whether this is indeed the right play.
But after 98 and 96-win seasons in two of the last three years, Rizzo knows nothing in this league is guaranteed. Similar to his controversial handling of Strasburg in 2012, Rizzo's signing of Scherzer is a clear indicator he's willing to curb popular opinion for what he feels is in the best long-term interest of the franchise.
That's not to say acquiring a pitcher of Scherzer's caliber is controversial. He's the league leader in strikeouts since 2012, and boasts the third-highest pitcher WAR during that period. Nonetheless, signing a hard-throwing 30-year-old with considerable mileage on his arm comes with obvious risks.
Rizzo, however, has long coveted the big right-hander. It was Rizzo, then the vice president of scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who insisted his club pick Scherzer - despite being represented by notorious super agent Scott Boras - 11th overall in the 2006 draft, because he considered him to be the best player on the board.
Nine years later, Scherzer and Rizzo are crossing paths, yet again.
Just like that 2006 draft and the Strasburg shutdown, Rizzo could have opted to go any number of ways this offseason. His division-winning rotation was already set, next year's free-agent pitching class is strong, and the Nationals are still tasked with locking up a pair of franchise players.
But in typical Rizzo fashion, the Nationals GM quietly pursued Scherzer, the best free agent on the board. Once again, he did so undeterred by Boras, his critics, or popular opinion.
Signing a pitcher who turns 31 this year to a lucrative long-term deal is a gamble, but so is banking on Zimmermann to re-sign or Washington to win the World Series.
Rizzo is paying a pretty price to ensure the Nationals remain contenders for at least a few more years, and there's nothing controversial about that.