Even after a 15-5 rout of the Diamondbacks today, the Nationals’ record is just 33-38, leaving the club with a lot of ground to make up in the standings. Washington is 8.5 games back of Atlanta in the NL East, and six games behind the Phillies for the last wild card slot, and barring a big turn-around in the coming weeks, speculation will only increase that the Nats could become sellers at the trade deadline.
Near-term free agents like Sean Doolittle, Howie Kendrick, and even star slugger Anthony Rendon have drawn a lot of the trade buzz, though the biggest move the Nationals could make is offering up ace Max Scherzer. Such a trade doesn’t appear to be in the cards, however, as GM Mike Rizzo told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) that “we’re certainly not thinking about that right now.”
“We control the best pitcher in baseball for 2 1/2 more years – three playoff runs,” Rizzo said. “[Scherzer is] extremely well-priced. If you look at his contract, he’s extremely, extremely well-priced. We would have to command something that would be franchise-altering to consider moving him.”
Scherzer is officially owed $142.5MM through the end of the 2021 season, though $105MM of that sum will be paid out in deferrals from 2022-28. As Rosenthal mentions, Washington could also include money in a hypothetical trade in order to lessen the $30MM annual luxury tax hit attached to Scherzer’s deal.
The inclusion of the “right now” qualifier in Rizzo’s statement perhaps leaves the door slightly open for a trade, though it probably leans closer to due diligence rather than any hint towards moving Scherzer. After all, while Rizzo said the Nationals are still hoping for a midseason run, “you also have to be flexible and open-minded enough to know when you have to make changes and go in a different direction.”
Dealing Scherzer, however, would be the type of move that doesn’t only change “direction,” but perhaps sets a new course overall. The Nats have yet to abandon the idea of contending even in 2019, let alone in 2020, and trading a front-of-the-rotation arm like Scherzer doesn’t seem like the type of deal a club looking to contend next season would make, regardless of the huge return such a deal would inevitably bring. Trading a perennial Cy Young candidate and obtaining the type of win-now pieces necessary to reload for another crack at the NL East in 2020 would be an awfully difficult needle to thread, especially when simply keeping Scherzer is such an obvious boon to the rotation.
Between this factor and the personal ties between Rizzo and Scherzer, a trade seems unlikely at best. “I’ve never been closer to a player in my career. I drafted him in Arizona,” said Rizzo, who was formerly the Diamondbacks’ scouting director. “I watched him grow up. We went hard after him (in free agency). We made him a promise that if you’re signing for seven years and you’re deferring all this money to help us win championships, we’re going to do everything we can to win.”
Scherzer would be great for the Cardinals
Scherzer would be a great fit to any playoff contender!!
They drafted him. What happened?
If i’m correct they drafted him out of high school and somewhere around round 40. He was already committed to college and didn’t think the bonus was worth it. Worked out pretty well for him as he eventually wound up as a 1st rd pick.
Frazier and eLLsBurY should easily be able to get this deal done for Sherzer, rEnDOn, and Doolittle.
No way that ever happens
Soto needs to be included to even this out
You forgot Turner and Soto.
Nobody has ever proposed that deal.
fRaiZer is a future HOFer. The return for him should easily be Bumgarner, Sherzer, or kerShaW. cAshGoD will pull off another amazing move.
The only time I’ve ever seen someone call Frazier or say the return for him would be Sherzer or Kershaw is from the people who hate the Yankees above all else.
Dude is trolling might be the worst trade proposal ever on this site and that is saying something.
No, he sounds like alot if Yankees fans unfortunately. No fanbase values its trash more highly.
“Bumgarner for Frazier, but the Giants have to take Ellsbury to make the money work.” – actual trade proposal made in another comments section.
@Sources What are you smoking?
When exactly do they start thinking about it? They’re 5 games under and in 4th place in the division. They need Miami to pass them for the wake up call or something??
He’s not a free agent for another 2 1/2 years, so maybe next July or after?
They have one of the most talented rosters in baseball and will for the next several years as only Rendon amongst their good players is free after this year..so you start thinking about it never, or I guess at deadline of Scherzer’s walk year if they happen to be out of it.
Cope
They have not had one of the most talented rosters in years
The ultimate wake up call: looking up at Miami in the standings.
I don’t understand how 142.5 million for 2.5 years is extremely well priced. As good as Scherzer is, that is hardly a bargain. I would love to see what the crew at Fangraphs think of his trade value.
Paid through 7 years of deferrals. I didn’t look up the salary structure but let’s assume that knocks the PV down to around 100 million. 2.5 at 100 million for Scherzer. I don’t think that is extremely well priced but rather more Market Value for what Scherzer gives you. The only problem is there aren’t any Max Scherzer’s sitting around readily available. I suspect the Nats would eat some cash and get a better return. But by no means is he cheap.
The main point of Rizzo saying this weird well-priced thing that you never hear GMs come out and say is that he is making clear to the whole world that if you want this guy don’t come in here asking us to pay down his contract $20m or $50m. You’re paying everything and all the trade discussion will be is how much stuff you’re giving us for him, and it better be a lot. Saves him a lot of bs conversations, I like it.
Your sarcasm fails when you talk about their farm being good enough to get Scherzer without giving up either of their top two prospects. You are a delusional homer: no team could trade for Scherzer without giving up one of its top two prospects.
Let’s also remember that if he were on the FA market this offseason any team would take him at that rate over 2
Years. Yes they would absorb money to up the haul but he is being paid at or below market value
1. Nats aren’t trading Scherzer. And shouldn’t/won’t give up on season unless it gets way worse — 8 games in June isn’t much. And they have 17 games versus Braves left.
2. The author of this article is wrong. MLB does consider deferrals for luxury tax. Of course they do. Nats or any team spending big $$ would be stupid to have deferrals if MLB didn’t. The players certainly value the contracts based on net present value. So does MLB. This came up last year with Nats trying to get under the cap. They failed but they got close and they wouldn’t have been nowhere close without deferral present value calculation.
17 games left against a clearly superior team isn’t exactly a selling point for them to keep Scherzer.
All that tells me is you’re 5 games under in spite of not playing the best team in your own division. Basically you’ve had a favorable schedule and you’re still not competitive.
It would take a stupid deal to get Scherzer. They need him for the next two years. I don’t see a full tear down being feasible.
Didn’t trade harper last year. Rendon is about to leave. Scherzer turns 35 next month. They are behind the METS in the standings. What are they waiting for?
Max coming home to SD!
Kevin Brown 2.0
Home? He’s from Missouri.
Interesting to see if the White Sox make an offer. Scherzer/Giolito/Kopech in 2020 could be a rotation of the ages. Madrigal and Cease would likely be required in a trade though.
That’d be an awful move. The white Sox need to keep all their prospects at this point.
“The White Sox need to keep all their prospects at this point” Yes because the White Sox are so far off from competing that their best bet is to keep all their prospects and hope they develop in 3 or 4 years. They most certainly are not three and a half games back of a wild card and they most certainly are tanking with a core of Anderson/Jimenez/Moncada/Giolito. It’s not like their farm system is deep enough to the point where they can acquire a generational SP without having to give up their top 2 prospects. They should just keep everybody in their farm and not deal from their obvious surplus that will inevitably be left off the roster and put into the rule 5 draft.
You just recommended trading Madrigal and Cease for a 35 year old Starting pitcher. What part of that is trading fringe 40 man prospects? Why are you so defensive? Cease and Madrigal are part of your next core. The white Sox can go get Scherzer tomorrow and still miss the playoffs or not do a damn thing when they’re in them because the team has gaping holes. Gaping holes that guys like cease and Madrigal will soon fill. Stop acting like a clown.
I’d personally rather keep Madrigal and Cease and hope Hahn can finally lure a big fish this offseason in Gerrit Cole than see the Sox trade two top prospects for a 35 year old pitcher.
No way the White Sox make that trade.
The White Sox will take their chances with Giolito/Kopech/Cease at the top of their rotation through at least 2023 (Giolito’s potential FA year) rather than spend $142.5M and two of their most elite prospects including Dylan Cease for 35-year old Max Scherzer to head their staff for 2-1/2 seasons.
The only way the White Sox make any prospect deal for Scherzer would be without any of their best four (Luis Robert, Michael Kopech, Cease, Nick Madrigal) who also happen to rank among mlb.com’s top-40 (m.mlb.com/prospects/2019/?list=cws). The White Sox soon to be top-100 prospect and recent first round pick Andrew Vaughn would also be off the table in any trade discussions when he is eligible to be included in any deal. Otherwise, the Nationals can have their pick from among the rest of the White Sox prospects. Heck, Rick Hahn might even send back 2/3 of the trade package he acquired from Washington for Adam Eaton back in December of 2016, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to acquire Scherzer! lol
Their rotation include Scherzer, Strasbourg, Corbin and others. You can easily find a 4th to make a healthy rotation. Most teams would thrive on that. I am a Yankee fan and I think it would be dumb for the Mats to trade one of the best pitchers in baseball in a league where it is still difficult to run away with it. They still have Soto and Robles developing into a good outfield. Trea Turner a great SS however he needs to stay healthy. I dunno, they may be have a losing record and Mets might have a better record but they have a great deal of talent.
A plethora of prospects in the Padre pharm…
The Nationals have delivered below expected results with a quality roster for years now. Changes need to be made at the organization. It starts at the top. It’s time to clean out the front office not the clubhouse.
That amount of deferred money owed to him has to knock down his trade value unless the bats pay it. That deferred salary is literally dead salary
No it’s not you don’t understand how it works.
Not happening
I actually agree with Rizzo. It would have to be franchise-altering. Trading the other guys makes sense due to the contract situation
Frazier, Andujar, and Domingo German for Max Scherzer.
Fair deal…very good young players. All major league ready.
And we get the Ace we need.
“We”?
We bring the Yankees… Frazier Andujar and German are Yankees.
You must know baseball
Mind blown by how much you’re overvaluing those three players. This proposal isnt even close.
That in no way screams have to trade Scherzer.
“Frazier, Andujar, and Domingo German for Max Scherzer.
Fair deal…very good young players. All major league ready.
And we get the Ace we need.”
Yeah, no. Start with your top 2 prospects and add additional young pieces already in the MLB and you’ll begin to move in the right direction. But honestly, you still won’t have enough. Especially if your going against a team like the Padres for him.
Rizzo hangs up the phone
So the # 2 in rookie of year voting.. andujar.. your losing rendon. A very good mlb ready starter. 9 wins this year and a outfielder who has similar numbers to Bryce Harper this year. So what else do you want. A real gm like Brian cashman? Or would you like some of the 27 titles we have? I mean he’s gonna wast away in Washington. Give him a shot like verlander got to actually win.
“or would you like some of the 27 titles we have” There’s a Yankees fan throwing up that crap like it wins an argument, no it doesn’t help by the way. Again with the “We” the Yankees organization has 27 titles of which you weren’t alive for most, and never contributed to. Live in the present.
So sorry wise man!! Lol I’ve been alive for 7.. but keep Max.. and I’ll live in the first place present.
German is average at best
With regards to production for the contract, Scherzer’s deal, as of right now, is lining up to be one of the best free agent signings ever (33 WAR in a little less than 4 1/2 seasons so far). It is certainly in the conversation with Randy Johnson’s original deal with Arizona (199-2004/48 WAR).
Please don’t trade Max ever. He is on trajectory that leads him to be likely first ballot HOF. Not enough talent there to justify trading that away.
Max will never get a ring in Washington. The same team that let Harper leave.. should let max go. But I’m a Yankees fan.. yes. Even the Yankees had a fire sale. Once. Players that are hall of famers are hall of famers. Max is a hall of famer. Let him win a title. Or let him be Clayton Kershaw. Or Dan Marino.. to all the fans who are thinking that the Nats have a chance. I have a Mets fan in my pocket to trade you too!
Nationals are a head scratcher for me. All the talent in the world on paper, but every season, they put up this below average year. Amazing that a team with a starting rotation of Max, Stras, and Corbin could be so bad. At this point, everything needs to be on the table for the Nats in the way of trades. Clearly, this mix of players is not working. Blow it up and trade Max and Rendon and get back a boat load of stud players.
Imagine the haul you would get back for Max with his contract. He is still under team control for 2 more seasons i believe. They could completely re haul their farm system
Agreed. Their bullpen has been brutal for years. Could never get over the hump. Can’t ask your starters to go out and throw 7-8 inning games on the regular. I don’t care how good the rotation is
Rizzo needs out
Ok … I know I’m a Yankee fan on a Nats page here but there’s some facts not being filled on here very well. As of July 31st Scherzer gets 10-5 rights. That’s Ten years of service 5 with the same team. According to The Players Union CBA that means Scherzer gets what amounts to a no trade clause that kicks in for him. With no deal done with Rendon yet… and no decent Replacement for him in your farm… and nothing really stellar in his position coming up in free agency the next 2 years… the pressure is going to be on at deadline time. Now if the Nats can get Rendon to sign an extension… Scherzer isn’t going anywhere. If not… the likelihood of a quick reload maneuver to be competitive in say 2 years while you still have Doolittle, Turner, Soto etc under reasonable contracts and a freshly loaded farm to either call up or trade for needed pieces. Also having dumped some major salary. That’s what the lay of the land looks like. As a Yankees fan I’d LOVE Scherzer … we can afford his $ contract… but not certain we have the pieces to get him. My guess the best package I could see is Frazier, Estrada, Loasiga, and Devi Garcia…plus taking in Scherzers full contract. That doesn’t exactly blow anyone away. But it’s an infielder with an MLB ready bat and good defense in Estrada, a young power hitter in Frazier, a possible 4-5 starter in Loasiga, and a hot young lottery ticket arm in Garcia. All cost controlled for multiple years. Is there a team out there that is willing to go more? Well that’s yet to be seen. But if Rendon doesn’t sign … I think you’ll see the bids start to fly in.