The Nationals have reached a seven-year deal with P Max Scherzer for $210M, with "half deferred," according to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. Scherzer "will receive $15M per year for 14 years." The "present-day value" of the $210 will end up being "lower due to deferrals" (TWITTER.com, 1/19). In DC, Svrluga & Kilgore report the addition of Scherzer "doesn’t necessarily mean the Nationals would have to deal anyone to make financial room" for him. Nationals President of Baseball Operations & GM Mike Rizzo "was the scouting director" with the D-Backs in '06, when the team took Scherzer "with the 11th pick" in that year's draft. But the relationship that "mattered more here is between Scherzer’s agent, Scott Boras," and Nationals Managing Principal Owner Ted Lerner. Boras "has long described the pursuit of Scherzer as an 'ownership decision,' and Boras did in fact meet with Lerner earlier this month." Boras "has done many deals with Rizzo and Lerner" -- including those for P Steven Strasburg, RF Jayson Werth, LF Bryce Harper and 2B Anthony Rendon. Additionally, the 89-year-old Lerner "may sense the 2015 team represents his best opportunity" to bring DC its first World Series title since 1924 (WASHINGTON POST, 1/19). CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Heyman reported the Nationals "appeared to come almost out of nowhere in this derby, when very little leaked out for weeks regarding the top free agent on the market" in Scherzer. However, one thing that "was well known was how many deals" Lerner and Rizzo had done previously with Boras. Lerner "likely saw this as an opportunity to stamp his team the World Series favorite" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/19).
GOING FOR IT: FOXSPORTS.com's Rosenthal asked to what extent "did Lerner enable Rizzo to plan for this moment?" Did the owner "give Rizzo enough time to arrange a trade involving right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and/or another of his high-salaried players?" Or are the Nationals "simply dismissing payroll concerns and going" for it in '15? Lerner "is one of the game's wealthiest owners." Attendance at Nationals Park and local TV ratings "will soar if he allows Rizzo to keep this team together" (FOXSPORTS.com, 1/19). USA TODAY's Paul White writes Rizzo "still must master the delicate dance of remaining a perennial contender -- putting a winner on the field with a payroll that's not unlimited despite the Lerner family ownership's comparative generosity while at the same time keeping the minor league pipeline stocked" (USATODAY.com, 1/19).
