Weighing Pros and Cons of Reunion With Max Scherzer for Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals have finished up the Winter Meetings and have still been pretty quiet so far this offseason.
Coming into the winter, there was some hope and expectation that the Nationals would try to bring in some veterans to help jolt their young core and take them to the next level. While that is still very possible, it hasn’t happened yet.
One position that Washington would certainly like to add a veteran to is their starting rotation. There are a lot of young and unproven arms in the rotation currently, as the Nationals will be hoping that some of them take a step forward in 2025.
However, adding a veteran pitcher who could be in the dugout and around the guys would be very beneficial. With Washington seemingly getting priced out of the starting pitcher market, options might be limited. However, one name who could make some sense is former National, Max Scherzer.
Here are some pros and cons about a potential reunion with their former ace.
Pros
When healthy and on the mound, Scherzer can still pitch at his age. Even though he missed a lot of time last season with the Texas Rangers, he still had an ERA under 4.00 when he was on the mound. That is a number that the Nationals would gladly take from a starting pitcher.
Not only could he still pitch well, being around a future Hall of Famer and seeing the little things and attention to detail could prove very beneficial for the young staff. While coaching is always important, sometimes it’s a simple tip or conversation with a teammate during a game that can make something click.
Furthermore, at his age, Scherzer wouldn’t be seeking a multi-year deal. For a team that hasn’t committed yet to free agents long-term, this could be a good stop-gap move to buy some time for the young players to develop.
Cons
The biggest elephant in the room when considering Scherzer is how much he will be able to pitch. In 2024, the right-hander totaled just 43 innings. The year prior, he was at 152.2, and in 2022, he pitched 145.1 innings. The days of being over 180 innings pitched are certainly done for the former Cy Young, as he could likely be on the injured list multiple times next season.
Also, while his sub 4.00 ERA wasn’t bad in limited action last campaign, it is his second straight season with an ERA in the high 3.00s, as father time might be catching up. If Scherzer has a similar season to 2024 and pitches few than 100 innings, any deal for Washington wouldn't feel like a good one.
