Scherzer On His Reaction To $210 Million Deal: 'Jaw-Dropping'
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The Washington Nationals made official their seven-year deal with former Detroit Tigers ace Max Scherzer, who won the Cy Young Award in 2013 and delivered a similar season in 2014.
Scherzer turned down an offer from the Tigers following his banner season of 2013, but Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski never closed the door on the idea of bringing Scherzer back.
Ultimately, the Nationals paid Scherzer more than any pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw has ever been paid - $210 million for seven years.
In his introductory press conference, Scherzer acknowledged even he was staggered by the amount of the deal.
"It was jaw-dropping," Scherzer said. "You just can't even fathom it sometimes. You work so hard to put yourself in this position ... I don't play this game for money, but at the same time, when you have an offer like that, it just makes you go, 'Wow.'
"[Agent Scott Boras] told me, 'You can't tell anybody,' so I had to keep it to myself, just tell my wife," Scherzer added. "It was a 'wow' moment ... I was just very happy."
The pitcher said he chose the Nationals because of the team's commitment to winning.
"It's pretty easy," Scherzer said. "Winning. I think this team is capable of winning and winning a lot.
"When the Nationals started knocking on your door, this is a team you want to be a part of," Scherzer continued. "I want to win, and that's why I'm here."
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the team wanted Scherzer, even though the rotation was already strong, because the opportunity to snag a player of Scherzer's ability does not come along often.
"He's everybody's kind of guy," Rizzo said. "He's a winner. We like to think that we attract that type of player, and we certainly landed one in Max."
"We have a grand plan coming into each offseason. There's different routes to get to where you want to be," Rizzo added later. "The plan was laid at the beginning of the offseason and came to fruition in the last three, four weeks or so."
In Washington, Scherzer will rejoin another former Tigers starting pitcher, Doug Fister, whom Detroit traded to the Nationals after the 2013 season.
Over the last two seasons, Scherzer recorded an ERA of 3.02 and a record of 39-8 over 65 starts. He also struck out 492 and walked only 119.
