Washington Nationals watch Max Scherzer sign with division foe

Max Scherzer is free to sign with whomever he wants to. Hence the term, free agent. If a team is going to throw sacks of money his way, he should take them, with a smile on his face. The Scherzer signing with the New York Mets is not ideal for Washington Nationals fans, but it is what it is, we shall accept it and move on.

If you were busy Cyber Monday shopping and missed the news, Max Scherzer signed a 3 YR/$130M contract to join a division foe. A record contract because the annual average value (AAV), is more than $43M a year. Smashing the previous record held by Gerrit Cole, with an AAV of $36M a year.

We knew pretty early on that the 7 YR/$210M deal Scherzer signed with the Nationals in January 2015, was an underpay. We might not have to wait until the conclusion of this deal (which has an opt-out clause after year two) to see if it was an overpay by the Mets.

Former Nationals pitcher, Max Scherzer, has signed a record breaking contract to pitch for the New York Mets.

As a Nationals fan, what are my thoughts on the Scherzer deal? Indifference. As baseball fans we have been conditioned to cheer for our uniforms, and not the players in them.

Good for Scherzer. Every one of us out there would have done the same thing, given the opportunity. Scherzer deserves to be paid for his efforts, and if someone is going to sign that check for him, he needs to go to the highest bidder.

People are going to gripe regardless of who Scherzer signs with. The Dodgers. Yep, he just wants to play for a winner and get another ring. The Mets. Yep, he’s just taking all the money doesn’t care about scratching and clawing his way to the top. The Tigers. Yep, he’s going back to where it all started, doesn’t care about winning or money.

Our Nationals were never realistically in the running to retain Max’s services after trading him at the deadline last season. A middling franchise entering a rebuilding phase shouldn’t throw tons of money at a 37 year old pitcher, regardless of who it is.

Will seeing Scherzer in blue pin stripes be awful? Yes. Will seeing Scherzer toe the rubber for a division rival be awful? Yes. Will seeing Scherzer strikeout our beloved current Nationals players? Yes. A resounding, YES.

Does this mean as Nationals fans we have to boo Scherzer and move on from him as a person. No, not at all. This is a business. He made a good business decision, for himself. Best of luck in the Big Apple, Mad Max.