How’s this for an unexpected landing spot for Max Scherzer: the Washington Nationals?
According to several media reports that began to trickle out on Sunday, Scherzer and the Nationals have mutual interest in one another, and the two parties are getting close on a seven-year contract. In fact, according to the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore, the contract is “very close”.
Per a source, Max Scherzer to the Nats is "very close." Not finished yet.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) January 19, 2015
Another, still unknown, team is also in on Scherzer for seven years.
Source: Max Scherzer is close to signing a seven-year deal. Between #Nationals and one other club. First reported: @JonHeymanCBS
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 18, 2015
However, Scherzer wouldn’t slot into the Nationals rotation as currently constructed – the team would trade a starting pitcher to clear some payroll for Scherzer, with Jordan Zimmermann (a free agent after the 2015 season) as a likely candidate to get moved.
#Nats have been talking with "multiple" teams on Jordan Zimmermann trade possibilities over past few weeks, sources say.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 18, 2015
Let the chaos ensue. Scherzer might seem like a strange fit for the Nationals given their stacked rotation, but consider this – Zimmermann and Doug Fister are both free agents after the 2015 season. Stephen Strasburg is a free agent after the 2016 season. Washington also has a limited amount of salary commitments past the 2016 season, with only Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman due any substantial salaries (along with Gio Gonzalez, who has a club option in 2017 and a player option in 2018).
Maybe this isn’t so crazy after all. Scherzer-Strasburg-Fister-Gonzalez is a better starting foursome than Strasburg-Zimmermann-Fister-Gonzalez in 2015, and all the Nationals would be losing is money…which they’ve got a decent amount to spend past 2016.
