Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer is the top name in free agency this year and he could be targeted by teams like the NY Yankees, LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals or Tigers as a free agent, as those teams have big money and as a Scott Boras client, that's exactly what Scherzer is looking for.
Scherzer comes in after being the Cy Young winner two years ago and he essentially bet on himself in 2014 after turning down an extension from the Tigers. According to Hardball Talk, Scherzer turned down an offer worth over $140 million and that means he is looking for at least what Jon Lester got an probably more. Some have suggested that Scherzer could sign for over $200 million, but right now that is looking unlikely.
The Yankees have come out to say that they aren't making any major deals worth that much money, but people around baseball do not count them out on Scherzer yet. The Yankees desperately could use a new ace, as Masahiro Tanaka is coming back from an injury, while CC Sabathia is not the pitcher he once was. The team has depth issues in the rotation and while Andrew Miller was a big signing, the team lost David Robertson and now also has some bullpen issues. The Yankees need more consistency on offense this season as well, but if the rotation doesn't step up it could be a third straight year without the playoffs
James Shields remains an option for teams that miss out on Scherzer, with the Red Sox, Dodgers and Giants all possibilities. The Giants were in on Lester and they would like to add a big arm along with Madison Bumgarner in the rotation, while the Red Sox had issues last year but have added Justin Masterson, Wade Miley and Rick Porcello already to join Clay Buchholz. The team could shift one of those names into the bullpen for Scherzer, but right now it looks like they are fine with those pitchers and signing Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval.
Scherzer had another strong season last year and he has 55 wins over the last three seasons, which are the most in baseball in that span. Scherzer was the ace of the Tigers last season and now he likely is gone from Detroit, as the team traded for David Price last year at the deadline and they have him under team control for another season. The Yankees likely would love to add Scherzer, but they really can't afford to, which is kind of crazy when thinking about this franchise.
The team is paying A-Rod and with $45 million still going to CC Sabathia and $20 million per season for Tanaka, Scherzer simply can't fit in. The Giants have shown a willingness to spend in recent years, but Scherzer could be too much for them as well. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but Greinke has an opt out coming up and they could look at replacing him with Scherzer. The Rangers, Nationals, Mariners and Padres have also been mentioned as potential options, but it's not likely those teams step up with the money that Scherzer is looking for.