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Wire Taps: More Nationals sign Max Scherzer stories + Stop Trading Stephen Strasburg

The big news in the last two days: The Washington Nationals signed Max Scherzer to a 7-year/$210M deal. The other big news? According to one report, the Nats might now be considering trading Stephen Strasburg? For reals? I don't know...

By Patrick Reddington
H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Any day now the Washington Nationals will get around to actually announcing the deal that the entire baseball world has been discussing for the past two days. [ed. note - "There's a presser for a big baseball announcement scheduled for tomorrow."] The defending NL East Champs signed right-hander Max Scherzer to what is reportedly a 7-year/$210M deal, but the Nats have yet to make it official. When they do there will likely be the standard introductory press conference in D.C. and even more coverage of the Nationals' sort-of-out-of-nowhere deal with the top free agent arm on the market this winter. Does the signing give the Nats the best rotation in baseball? It's hard to argue with that, right? The big question now? What do the Nationals do next? Will Ian Desmond or Jordan Zimmermann get dealt this winter? And what about those that Stephen Strasburg rumors rumor?

The Nationals shocked the baseball world on Sunday night... what's next?

NATS BEAT: Scherzer, Scherzer, Scherzer

• "Scherzer thus becomes the newest star in Washington, where expectations are propped up in offseason after offseason..." - "Nationals now World Series favorites after megadeal with star pitcher Max Scherzer" - Barry Svrluga and Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post

• "The Nationals plan to listen to offers for Zimmermann and Fister, as they have for months this offseason. They have indicated they would also field calls on Stephen Strasburg as well." - "Pros and cons of Nats’ many trade options after signing Scherzer" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• "This much has become clear about the Nationals since they emerged from the National League East basement: You never know what they’ll do next." - "Signing Max Scherzer creates an embarrassment of riches for Nationals" - Deron Snyder, Washington Times

• "The Marlins still have a formidable starting rotation and will be one of the toughest division teams for the Nationals to beat next season." - "NL East opponents concerned if Scherzer pitches for Nats" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• "Since 2012, among qualified starters, only Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez have produced more wins above replacement than Scherzer." - "The strengths and weaknesses of Max Scherzer" - Neil Greenberg, The Washington Post

• "As a teenager growing up in northwest Washington, Ted Lerner worked as an usher at Griffith Stadium simply so he could watch the local baseball team..." - "By adding Max Scherzer, Nationals make a bold and historically expensive move" - Tom Schad, Washington Times

• "Zimmermann has spoken with the Nationals about a contract extension this offseason, but the sides have made little progress." - "The Nationals’ signing of Max Scherzer could bring about the eventual departure of Jordan Zimmermann" - Chelsea Janes, The Washington Post

• "'Oh, man. Not that we needed an upgrade, but it's definitely an upgrade for our team and clubhouse,' Span said." - "Span, Werth excited about 'big pickup' in Scherzer" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com

• "Though Max Scherzer’s contract includes a signing bonus and deferred money, the final total counting against the Nats’ payroll comes in at seven years and $210 million." - "Looking at the biggest contracts for pitchers after Scherzer’s deal" - Chase Hughes, Nats Insider

• "Adding Scherzer made the Nationals the World Series favorites in Vegas, and Olney rated them the best team in baseball before the deal." - "With Max Scherzer, let the ‘Best Rotation Ever’ talk begin" - Scott Allen, The Washington Post

Hey, did you hear the Nats are ready to trade Strasburg?:

• "USA TODAY’s John Perrotto reported Monday that the Nationals are open to dealing Strasburg, and it sounds like the righty might be OK with that, too." - "Report: Nationals Open To Stephen Strasburg Trade After Max Scherzer Deal" - Mike Cole, MLB | NESN.com

• "Maybe they realize that Strasburg's low cost and extra year of control will net them far more in a trade than Zimmermann or Fister would..." - "Say hey, baseball: Stephen Strasburg could be traded, maybe!" - Marc Normandin, SBNation.com

• "It’s conceivable, then, that they could add Scherzer to Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez to form a dream rotation that would instantly make them the favorite to win the World Series." - "Nationals start to look like a trade partner" - Scott Lauber, Boston Herald

NATIONAL(S) BEAT: More Scherzer?

• "Back then, there was a man named Mike Rizzo working for the D-backs who was convinced that Scherzer's 95-mph fastball was just a start." - "Scherzer always striving to improve" - Richard Justice, nationals.com

• "Now we know where Scherzer is going to be pitching for much of the remainder of his major league career." - "Max Scherzer’s Future in Washington is Bright" - Tony Blengino, FanGraphs Baseball

• "So in the middle of the season, they went to work on resetting Scherzer's mechanics, keeping his hands in the middle of his delivery." - "Scherzer makes gains under Jones' tutelage" - Jason Beck, tigers.com

• "If Scherzer's performance declines considerably by the end of the contract (a decent possibility considering the volatility of pitchers in their 30s), he'll be less of an albatross on Washington's payroll." - "Max Scherzer's deal with the Nationals is complicated, but benefits both sides" - Alex Skillin, SBNation.com

• "Make no mistake about it: Max Scherzer is going to make a lot of money. But not quite as much as you might think." - "Max Scherzer's $210 million deal with Washington Nationals includes record-breaking deferrals" - James Schmehl, MLive.com

• "Scherzer, 30, bolsters the Nationals rotation and widens the gap even further between the favorites to win the National League East division and the rebuilding Phillies." - "Max Scherzer signing with Washington Nationals impacts the Phillies on many fronts" - Matt Lombardo, NJ.com

• "The Nationals lost relievers Tyler Clippard, Rafael Soriano and Ross Detwiler this offseason. In 2014, that trio combined for 195 1/3 innings — a starter’s workload..." - "Max Scherzer is great, but the Nats pitching staff won’t be better than it was last year" - Ted Berg, For The Win

• "But then we remember how reality twists in weird directions. And how the Nationals might not end up being much better after signing Scherzer..." - "Max Scherzer signing guarantees Nationals nothing" - Andy Martino, NY Daily News

• "Max Scherzer bet on himself and the condition of his arm when he rejected the Tigers' six-year, $144 million extension advances a year ago, and that bet paid off handsomely." - "What the Nationals should do next after signing Max Scherzer" - Anthony Castrovince, SportsonEarth.com

• "There is no certain formula for October success, but the Nationals are betting on starting pitching as the critical factor." - "Max Scherzer Set to Give Nationals an Overpowering Rotation" - Tyler Kepner, NYTimes.com

• "But Matheny never engaged in recruiting Max Scherzer, the pitcher he's referencing, because he explained the Cardinals were never "active" in their pursuit of him." - "Matheny on pitching pursuit: 'Has to be a line that you draw'" - Derrick Goold, St. Louis Today

Non-Scherzer Nats News: (There is some)

• "Roark won't publicly come out and complain about how his role will change if the Nats decide not to trade one of their starters after Scherzer's addition, but you have to imagine he isn't thrilled." - "Nationals Pastime: Roark's role set to change in 2015" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "But maybe the most interesting move of January goes to the Washington Nationals, who have hired former pitcher and former outfielder Rick Ankiel to be their inaugural life skills coordinator." - "Baseball Therapy: Rick Ankiel's Third Act" - Russell A. Carleton, Baseball Prospectus

• "If I told you only one player in the majors went 20/20 in each of the last three seasons, who would you guess?" - "Fantasy baseball player profile: Washington Nationals' Ian Desmond will provide consistency, power and speed" - Michael Beller, Fantasy - SI.com

NL EAST UPDATES: Braves' prospects; Defending Amaro, Jr.; Mets' big addition

• Braves: "The Braves’ farm system ranked 29th out of 30 major league teams in early November, Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel said. Now it’s in the top half..." - "Braves’ prospects list shuffled by multiple trades" - David O'Brien, www.ajc.com

• Phillies: "One of my pet causes over the last two years or so has been to push back against the wave of overwhelmingly negative invective hurled at GM Ruben Amaro, Jr..." - "Another Defense of Ruben Amaro, Jr." - Bill Baer, Crashburn Alley

• Mets: "The New York Mets are making a heavy investment this off-season. No, we’re not talking about the signing of high-profile free agents..." - "New York Mets Investing In Massive Video Display Over Investment In Players" - Maury Brown, Forbes

• Marlins: "The Washington Nationals have stepped up their already fearsome NL East game with their signing of top free agent starter Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million contract yesterday." - "Signing James Shields not an answer for Marlins to Nationals' Max Scherzer deal" - Michael Jong, Fish Stripes

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