Strasburg Could be a Risk

            With pitchers and catchers reporting exactly one month from today, it’s time to have a look back at the 2015 offseason so far, and a look ahead what deals are still to come.

            Because of all that was going on in the NFL over the weekend, it probably blew by most New Englanders that Max Scherzer signed with the Washington Nationals, agreeing to a seven-year deal on Sunday night. Scherzer will reportedly make $15 million annually for the next 14 years, even though he will only pitch for seven of those years. That adds up to $210 million over the next 14 years. This is a huge move for not only the Nationals, but also multiple other teams across the league, including the Boston Red Sox.

            The Nats rotation already featured ace Stephen Strasburg, and the signing of Scherzer means that Strasburg is now on the trading block. Stephen Strasburg could be the ace that the Red Sox need, and, at this point, is the best option that the Red Sox have. He finished last year at 14-11, with a 3.14 Earned Run Average.

            Though bringing Strasburg to Boston sounds very enticing, there’s something about it that signals a red flag for me. Fox Sports released a report citing multiple sources saying that the Nats have been looking into trading Strasburg all offseason, and there’s a few reasons as to why they might want to do that. For one, they may want to trade for more offense, which makes plenty of sense. But the second reason is that they may have been looking to get rid of, and then replace Strasburg, and there’s only one reason why they would want to do that. He’s hurt. Strasburg had Tommy John Surgery in 2010, and had a rough road to recovery following that. Last year, Strasburg allowed more earned runs than ever before in his career, and I fear that he is injured and that is the reasoning for the Nats’ moves. If my conspiracy theory is correct, then what the Nationals are doing makes perfect sense. Scherzer will virtually replace Strasburg in the rotation if he is traded, and the Nats will receive a player of significant value for Strasburg.

            Now that Scherzer is off of the table, all of the teams who are in desperate, last-minute need of a pitcher can now turn their attention to James Shields. Because of his age and ability, he isn’t going to make anything close to what Scherzer signed for, but he is still a very good pitcher who is capable of leading several rotations. As much as I’d like to see the Sox go after Shields, it is highly unlikely that the team will be willing to pony up the money to sign him. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that MLB executives are expecting Shields to sign somewhere in the range of $75 million over four years. At this point the Sox are more likely to make a big trade for someone like Cole Hammels of the Philadelphia Phillies to beef up the rotation, than to throw money like that at a free agent.

            The team who I think is most likely to land Shields is the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays feature an aging rotation, with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey at the front of it, and they are in desperate need of pitching help. Granted Shields isn’t the ideal age for your top-of-the-line starter, but he would definitely make that rotation a lot better.

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            On a local note, the Vermont Mountaineers are getting set for their annual Hot Stove Banquet, which is this Saturday night at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. This year’s banquet will feature a meet and greet with Red Sox legend Bernie Carbo. The team will also be honoring several volunteers who have made a difference to the organization over its 11 years.

            Though snow is coming out of the sky on a daily basis right now, there is warm weather to come and believe it or not, opening day is less than three months away. I look forward to what promises to be an exciting baseball season, locally and nationally.