On Thursday, the Washington Nationals agreed to a blockbuster deal that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for C Keibert Ruiz, RHP Josiah Gray (MLB's 41st and 42nd best prospect, LA's no. 1 and 2 prospects, respectively), and two mid-range prospects.
During Scherzer's time with the Nationals, he accumulated 91 wins, a 2.80 ERA, and 1605 strikeouts, earning himself 6 All-Star nods and 2 Cy Young awards along the way. His efforts were worth 38.4 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference, which made his tenure in D.C. worth almost $350 million, according to FanGraphs.
However, back in 2015, Max Scherzer was voted the worst free-agent signing of the offseason by MLB executives. The logic makes sense. Minting a pitcher with a violent delivery to a 7-year, $210 million contract as he heads into his 30s isn't exactly a Jonah Hill from Moneyball type of move. However, the fallout of that deal bought success, both past and present, that has made Washington Nationals' general manager Mike Rizzo look like a genius.
Pitching Wins Championships
Immediately following Scherzer's signing in the offseason before 2015, the Nationals actually regressed, going from a 96-66 record and a playoff berth, to a mediocre 83-79 record, despite an All-Star season from Scherzer. Things looked exactly as all those MLB executives had believed they would: great performances from Mad Max, but too weak of a team in too small of a market to build the type of supporting cast that would ever win the Nationals a World Series during Scherzer's tenure there.
However, little by little, the Nationals built around Scherzer, their 1A, and Stephen Strasburg, their 1B, en route to a World Series title over the Houston Astros. Scherzer and Strasburg were simply dominant in that series, as all four of D.C.'s wins came in games that either of those two started on the mound. Though Washington's offense that year was good, it was their two aces that carried them to a title.
No Need for Tanking
By pulling in two prized prospects in their deal with the Dodgers, the Nationals now possess four prospects in the MLB 100. Along with their young, dynamic core of superstar Juan Soto, Victor Robles, Josh Bell, and Kyle Schwarber, this is clearly a team already on their way towards rebuilding to another championship.
As their prospects develop into contributors at the major-league level, there will again come a time where Washington needs one more superstar to get them over the hump. The only question is: who will it be?
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