Washington Nationals Receive Stellar Grade for Max Scherzer Mega Deal
The Washington Nationals were a team that many people were keeping an eye on coming into the 2024 offseason.
With a talented young core in place, general manager Mike Rizzo spoke openly about it being time to spend some money. The team has a lot of needs to address, but natural progression from the youngsters and an established veteran or two being added to the mix would help them move forward in their rebuild.
To this point, that major addition has not occurred.
There are some impact bats that are still available, such as first basemen Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. Both would be great additions to a lineup in need of some power.
The same could be said about Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander. Coming off a 2024 in which he hit a career-high 44 home runs, he would fit nicely into the middle of the order in need of a bopper.
Washington could also use a starting pitcher to bolster the young rotation they are currently sporting.
With Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams both hitting free agency, the team is lacking experience. MacKenzie Gore, who has 372.2 career innings under his belt, is the most experienced option.
Jake Irvin isn’t too far behind with 308.2 innings, while DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker just finished up rookie campaigns in 2024 where they were relied upon more than anyone would have guessed entering the season.
Alas, adding a veteran pitcher to the mix would have been costly, as prices have been through the roof in free agency to this point.
While the franchise has been hesitant to go into the upper part of the market to spend, it isn’t something they are foreign too.
Back in 2015, they agreed to one of the biggest contracts in MLB history with Max Scherzer; a seven-year, $210 million deal that helped put the franchise on the map as a contender in the National League.
It was a deal that Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report gave an ‘A’ grade to when assessing all of those massive contracts that have been handed out.
“With two Cy Young Awards, six All-Star selections and a World Series title in 2019, Scherzer goes down as one of the most successful free-agent signings in MLB history. The Nationals also flipped him to the Dodgers in the final season of his deal for a package of prospects that included Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray.”
It was an excellent deal for Washington, as Scherzer performed like an ace and the team reached the mountain top with a championship.
He was truly dominant, cementing himself as one of the pitching stars in the game. He recorded an average of 4.5 WAR for the duration of the contract and a total of 31.2.
When there is a high likelihood of a player donning you cap on his Hall of Fame plaque, a perfect “A” grade is warranted.
