The Washington Nationals made a huge splash over the weekend by signing ace right-hander Max Scherzer to a unique, seven-year $210 million deal with half of the money deferred. This means Scherzer will be getting paid $15 million a year for the next 14 years; it also means the Nats currently have MLB's deepest starting rotation.
That doesn't mean Washington is done fiddling with their roster, however. It appears that signing Scherzer might mean that Stephen Strasburg could be on the market.
Hearing #Nats RHP Stephen Strasburg is very much available and both sides believe it is time to move on. #MLB
— John Perrotto (@JPerrotto) January 19, 2015
If Strasburg is made available, here are the top five teams that should make a bid.
New York Yankees
The Yankees have made a concerted effort this offseason to avoid enormous contracts and get younger. They have acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius, who is 23 years old, and avoided big-ticket free agents like Hanley Ramirez and Max Scherzer.
Trading for Strasburg is a different animal though. The Yankees' foucs on penny-pinching is of their own volition, not out of necessity. They need rotation help and at 26 years old Strasburg is someone they can feel more comfortable handing a big-time contract to.
The Yanks might not have the prospects required to land an ace in his physical prime, but if they do have players Washington likes then it makes perfect sense for the Bronx Bombers to dive in.
Boston Red Sox
The Sox are one of the biggest spenders this offseason, but their rotation still needs work on paper. Rick Porcello projects as their No. 1 starter for Opening Day 2015, so even if their stacked lineup carries them through the regular season, they'll be facing an uphill battle in October.
Boston has an elite catching prospect in Blake Swihart who is poised to crack the bigs this season. They also have MLB-ready players like Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts that would be appealing. Bogaerts in particular is an intriguing piece; he is one of MLB's best prospects, but his presence has shifted Ramirez into left field. Moving him in a Strasburg deal returns Ramirez to his natural position, and gives the Red Sox their bona fide ace.
Chicago Cubs
Theo Epstein spent big on Jon Lester this offseason, giving the youthful Cubs a veteran leader to rally behind as well as a high-end No. 1 starter. The team is still packed to the gills with big-time prospects though-prospects talented enough to land someone like Strasburg.
The Cubs are particularly strong with infield prospects like Addison Russell, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez. With teams focusing heavily on pitching now that offense has ticked downward, a Lester/Strasburg one-two is nothing to sneeze at.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are pursuing free agent ace James Shields, and while Strasburg would cost them significantly more than just money, the upgrade is tremendous. Strasburg is seven years younger than Shields, and has Cy Young upside at the beginning of every season.
Toronto, like Boston, took great pains to upgrade their offense this offseason but left their rotation lacking. Strasburg is the clear ace in Toronto, and stabilizes an shaky staff.
New York Mets
It's unknown if the Nats would be willing to deal Strasburg within the division, but the Mets are a pitching-heavy club that has farmhands to work with. Pitching is already an area of great strength for the Amazins, but they're banking on a slew of young arms working out.
They could choose to package some promising players, along with catching prospect Kevin Plawecki, and net themselves a still-young pitcher with proven MLB chops. A rotation featuring Strasburg and Matt Harvey is as formidable a one-two punch as any in baseball, and give Mets fans even greater optimism than their strong farm system is already providing.
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