Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – The Washington Nationals made it official
on Wednesday, announcing a seven-year contract for free-agent pitcher Max
Scherzer.
The deal is reportedly worth $210 million. Scherzer turned down a $160-million
offer last year from the Tigers.
The 30-year-old right-hander began his MLB career with the Diamondbacks
organization after being a first-round draft pick in 2006. He broke into the
majors in 2008 with Arizona and also played for the Diamondbacks in 2009
before being dealt to Detroit.
Scherzer won the 2013 AL Cy Young Award. That season he compiled a 21-3 mark
with a 2.90 ERA. Last season, he went 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA.
With the addition of Scherzer, assuming the Nationals don’t deal away any of
their top-line projected starters for 2015, Washington will field a rotation
that will include Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug
Fister.
The Nationals had the best ERA in baseball among starting staffs last year at
3.04. They are also coming off a season in which they won 96 games and
finished first in the NL East.
Over his career, Scherzer has posted a 91-50 record and a 3.58 ERA in 207
games (198 starts).
