Ten years ago, the Nationals made what was seen as a risky signing and ended up winning the lottery
Ten years ago today, the Nationals finalized a 7-year $210 million contract with Max Scherzer. While it seemed like a lot of money at the time, the deal was a masterstroke, with Scherzer arguably becoming the greatest National of all time.
In his last two years as a Tiger, Max Scherzer went from a solid young arm to a Cy Young caliber pitcher. After winning the award in 2013, Scherzer had another top 5 finish in 2014, his walk year. After turning down a massive 6-year $144 million dollar deal to stay in Detroit, Scherzer was set to hit the open market.
The Nationals ended up swooping in to grab Scherzer, giving him the second largest contract for a pitcher of all time. At the time, the deal was derided and mocked. In a poll of executives, Scherzer ranked as the worst free agent signing of the offseason. Ted Lerner had made a hugely risky decision, and it ended up paying off. This is something the rest of his family should take note of.
Scherzer’s first season was a massive success. He had yet another top 5 Cy Young finish and threw two no-hitters, one of which would have been a perfect game if Jose Tabata had any class.
That was just the start of his legendary Nats run. From 2015 to 2019, Scherzer averaged 210 innings a season, with a 2.74 ERA, a 79-39 record, a sub-1 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9. He won two Cy Young’s and was a top 5 finisher every season. Most importantly, he was a massive part of the Nationals first ever World Series in 2019, the thing he was brought in to accomplish.
Scherzer was the most dominant player in team history, and my favorite player of all time. Not bad for the worst free agent signing. The Max Scherzer contract teaches a valuable lesson. If you don’t take risks, you don’t get the biggest rewards. Ever since Ted Lerner has stepped back from baseball operations, the high risk big moves have become less and less frequent. While you don’t want to make a habit out of bad contracts, taking risks on big time talent is a big part of how you win championships.
The Nationals need to make a Max Scherzer type move to augment their up and coming young core. The reality is that the young guys will not be enough to beat the titans of the National League. We need to learn from the Max Scherzer signing. Sometimes “the worst free agent contract” can become an all-time great if you give it to the right guy.