Thursday, December 25, 2014

Scherzer reportedly not receiving interest from wealthy teams

The Yankees have made headlines in recent weeks due to their assurance they won't pursue former Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer.

Unbeknownst to them, they may just be one of many teams in that category.

The New York Post's Ken Davidoff reported Thursday most of the other wealthy clubs are too shying away from the right-hander, who's gone 39-8 with a 3.02 ERA over the last two seasons. Scherzer is said to be asking for upwards of $200 million, a price few can be expected to want to hand out.

"Many clubs, among them the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants and Dodgers, have been vocal about their disinclination to enter the Scherzer sweepstakes," Davidoff wrote. "The Angels are sending signals they’re good to go with their current starting rotation. The Tigers and Nationals, two favorite destinations for [Scott] Boras clients in the past, also say they aren't going there."

It's worth noting those teams aren't the only ones to express their intention not to negotiate with Scherzer. The Cubs, who signed another free agent ace in Jon Lester at the Winter Meetings, have also stated their plans to stand clear of him, according to Davidoff.

But could that leave the door open for the Nationals and Angels to take him, despite their past claims? 

"One official from an AL club on Tuesday speculated the possibility of the Nationals trading Jordan Zimmermann, a year away from free agency himself, and signing Scherzer," Davidoff divulged. "Another official from a second AL team pegged the Angels as the team to give in and sign Scherzer."

The Angels could probably use Scherzer as a way to solidify their place at the top of the AL West, seeing as their main divisional competitor, the Mariners, have long been known to have a dominant rotation. Jered Weaver, their veteran contributor, has struggled to stay healthy lately, and lefty C.J. Wilson has underperformed. 

Yet since Weaver and Wilson are both on high-paying contracts, it's also possible Los Angeles will just stick to its guns, an act that'd leave Scherzer on the market even longer and in doing so give others more time to think.

5 comments:

  1. This is the way free agency for pitchers is going to be. Nobody wants to sign a 31 year old pitcher for 7-8 years. It's not the aav of the deal. $25-30 million a year for an ace, no big deal. Paying for that in his age 37 or 38 season, stupid. Scherzer should accept a 5 year deal somewhere in the $125-150 million range. Stop listening to that troll named Boras and accept what the market is offering. By the way, Scherzer has had 2 seasons with a sub 3.5 era. Is he really as good as people are claiming?

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    1. We've been saying this a couple years now and for a couple years now Boras continues to get his clients the deals they want and feel they deserve. Until that trend doesn't happen I cannot agree.

      And yes I remember Drew and Morales but they aren't and never will be on the level of Jayson Werth or Max Scherzer.

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    2. I just don't see $200 million happening. I know Kershaw got that kind of money, but he was 25.

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    3. Maybe not $200 million but I can see him, with or without options, getting his 7-8 years.

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  2. Daniel, Bleacher report did a re-rank after the 2014 season was over and ranked Yankees farm at 19.

    Re-Ranking All the MLB Farm Systems After the 2014 MiLB Season
    By Mike Rosenbaum , MLB Prospects Lead Writer Sep 18, 2014


    19. New York Yankees

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)