Max Scherzer is the top name left on the free agent market and teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, NY Yankees, Detroit Tigers, LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Astros and Giants could be interested in signing him, as he is the best pitcher in free agency available and now that it's into 2015, the pressure is on Scherzer to find a new team.
According to Hardball Talk, the Cardinals have considered a deal for Scherzer or a trade for David Price, but so far there are no immediate plans for either one to happen. James Shields is waiting in the wings for Scherzer to sign and teams that miss out on him could go for Shields instead. Many have speculated that the Yankees could jump in, but right now it looks like they are content with their staff. The Red Sox have money and so do the Tigers, who could look at signing him despite already shelling out major deals to Miguel Cabrera and others. The Cardinals are a team to watch, as they want to add a top pitcher, while the Dodgers have a ton of money to spend as well.
Scherzer won the Cy Young two years ago and he comes in after going 18-5 last season with a 3.15 ERA and 252 strikeouts. Scherzer will be 31 in July and he has strong years ahead of him, but giving out $200 million to a pitcher is tough for any team. When he won the award Scherzer went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and he bet on himself this year when he turned down an extension with the Tigers. Scherzer now is hoping to get his money on the market this offseason.
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.
Hardball Talk also writes that losing teams like the Astros and Rangers could jump into the fray if things continue to last this long. Hardball Talk reported that the Rangers, Angels and Cardinals also could have interest in Scherzer, but none of those teams are likely to jump in and sign him yet. Buster Olney wrote after the season that he felt the Dodgers, Angels, Yankees and Tigers would be options for Scherzer and right now he is waiting to see where the market goes. Shields hangs in the balance and any teams that miss out on Scherzer likely will go after Shields on the market.
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.