Max Scherzer signs with Nationals

Free-agent pitcher Max Scherzer has agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals on Monday. Pending a physical Scherzer will be a welcomed edition to an already strong rotation.

According to the Associated Press, the deal is for seven years and $210 million. Multiple reports say that half of the $210 million is deferred. The deal also has a record signing bonus of $50 million. Scherzer is now the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in major league history. The deal is the second-largest contract for a pitcher.Only Clayton Kershaw’s $215 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers is more.

There were a couple of teams that had interest in Scherzer. The Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Toronto Blue Jays had expressed some interest in Scherzer. The Tigers, Scherzer’s former team, offered him a six-year, $144 million deal in the spring but he turned it down, CBS Sports notes. That deal would have given him about $160 million guaranteed.

Scherzer spent the last five years with the Tigers after the Arizona Diamondbacks traded him in 2009. While playing for the Tigers he became a star and one of the best pitchers in the game. Last year he had a 18-5 record with a 3.15 ERA, according to ESPN. In 2013 he went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA, was voted the best pitcher in the American League and won the American League Cy Young award. He has made the All-Star team the last two years. Scherzer is 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA in seven seasons.

Scherzer will be joining a rotation that includes Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, former Tigers teammate Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark. The Nationals are now 4-1 favorites to win the World Series. They were 6-1 favorites when the offseason began.

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