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Scherzer’s signing has Nationals thinking World Series in 2015

By Jeff Weisinger

Jan 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; (left to right) Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, agent Scott Boras, and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo pose during a press conference introducing Scherzer as a member of the Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; (left to right) Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, agent Scott Boras, and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo pose during a press conference introducing Scherzer as a member of the Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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After officially announcing the signing of right-hander Max Scherzer on Wednesday, the Nationals now look ahead to the Fall Classic.

We all knew that it would be a matter of time before the Washington Nationals became a legitimate, complete World Series favorite.

With the arrival of baseball’s top free-agent pitcher Max Scherzer arriving in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, that time has come, 10 years after the first pitch in D.C. and seven years after the opening of Nationals Park.

Now the Nats have to hope that the $210 million over Scherzer’s seven-year deal is money well spent.

There’s no guarantee that the Nationals will play in the World Series in October – it’s impossible and outright dumb to guarantee that in January – but for a team that hasn’t won a playoff series since Steve Rogers pitched the Expos to a win in the division series in 1981 over Philadelphia in five games it’s definitely fun and exciting for them to think about.

First off, you cannot talk about Scherzer’s impact on the Nats without talking about the deal.  While most will read $210 million over seven years, he’s really getting half of that since he deferred half of it for after the contract.  He’s making $15 million a year for the next 14 years according to his contract, meaning the Nationals are on the hook for his salary through 2028.  Scherzer is also getting a $50 million signing bonus that will be paid in installments over the next 14 years and considering DC’s lack of non-resident income tax and Scherzer’s planned move to Florida, he’s reaping tens of millions in tax savings.

Now that the money part is out of the way (and we’ve all re-learned how awesome a deferred deal in baseball can be), how exactly does Scherzer help the Nats in their quest for their first World Series title in franchise history?

For starters, pun intended literally, he adds a sense of complete dominance on the mound that the Nats have only had a taste of.

Washington’s rotation led the majors with a 3.04 ERA last year as they took home the NL East pennant.  Scherzer becomes the straw to a Nationals drink that already features Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark who went 15-10 as a rookie last year and may end up in the bullpen to replace Tyler Clippard who was traded to Oakland last week.

If you think about it, the Nationals could actually deploy a six-man rotation where each starter still records double digit win totals and each strikes out over 150 batters.

Since arriving in Detroit in 2010, all Scherzer has done is win, notching 82 of his 91 career wins with the Tigers, posting a 3.52 ERA in the five-year span with 1,081 strikeouts.  He should earn his 100th career win in June.

He took home the 2013 AL Cy Young Award after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA, 240 strikeouts and a 0.97 WHIP and was a top-five Cy Young Award winner last year, going 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA and 252 strikeouts.  He’s lost less than 10 games in each of the last four seasons and with a solid lineup in the nation’s capital, should continue that trend in 2015.

In the last three years he’s posted a strikeout-per-nine ratio of 11.1, 10.1 and 10.3 last year and pitched over 200 innings the last two years.

It’s also worth noting that Scherzer achieved everything he has so far in the American League, meaning he could become more dominant now in the DH-less National League.  He went 1-2 in four interleague starts with Detroit last year, posting a 2.33 ERA in 27 innings pitched while striking out 33 batters.  His best game against the National League came against the Pirates on August 14, where Scherzer pitched an eight-inning shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out 14.

Oct 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (37) pitches during the first inning in game one of the 2014 American League divisional series at Oriole Park against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (37) pitches during the first inning in game one of the 2014 American League divisional series at Oriole Park against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Scherzer is also the only starter in the Nats rotation that has been to the LCS and World Series, although he lost his lone start in the 2012 Fall Classic against the Giants (6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 8 K).  Overall Scherzer is 4-3 in October with a 3.73 ERA in 12 postseason appearances.

But the Nationals have to get there first and that’s something that hasn’t been a standard in D.C.  Since moving from Montreal, the Nationals have only been to the playoffs twice, those two time coming within the last three years and lost both time in the NLDS, both times to a San Francisco Giants team that eventually winning it all.  They lost to San Francisco in five games in the 2012 NLDS and in four games last year.

In last year’s NLDS, Doug Fister was the only Nationals starter to earn a win, doing so in Game 3 at AT&T Park.  Strasburg took the Game 1 loss and Zimmerman took a no-decision in Game 2.

With Scherzer in the fold, he’ll take a lot of pressure off of the young Nationals rotation and add valuable postseason experience, however if the Nationals play the Giants again in October, well, they just have to hope he can figure them out this time around.

There’s no such thing as a guarantee in baseball, especially after a star player is signed in January.  To crown anyone a World Series champ nine months before the actual World Series is played is ridiculous, but if there’s any team that may have did their best shot at insuring a spot in the Fall Classic, it’s the Nats and if there’s any key player to watch, it’s Scherzer.

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    • The last time we saw a super rotation was in 2011 in nearby Philadelphia.  The Phillies had four aces in their rotation in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt all of whom have accomplished much more than the 2015 Nationals rotation so far.  That 2011 Phillies staff lost in the divisional series thanks to a lineup that went ice cold at the wrong time.

    The same thing happened to the 2014 Nationals.  Despite have three outstanding pitchers in Strasburg, Zimmerman and the rookie Roark, their bats went cold at the wrong time against the Giants.

    While the Nats got a lot better with one signing, they better hope the $210 million man can swing a bat.  His arm may push the Nats over the 100-win mark for the first time in franchise history, but his bat could possibly save the shot at a ring.

    Next: Who are the greatest starting pitchers in MLB history?

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