The offseason is just getting started! Are the Dodgers chasing Max Scherzer and how much of a priority is he?
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The Dodgers won the trade deadline in the 2021 season. They received Max Scherzer as a rental for the rest of the season and then secured Trea Turner for the 2022 season.
Max Scherzer had a career year in 2021 which is pretty remarkable considering that he was 37 years old. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down so why shouldn’t the Dodgers re-sign him?
Arm fatigue seems to be a freak injury
One thing that drew some concerns was how Scherzer experienced arm fatigue that kept him limited his effectiveness on the mound towards the end of the Dodgers’ 2022 postseason run. However, this was more due to him being overused as opposed to him showing some vulnerability.
Max Scherzer made 11 starts with the Dodgers and averaged over 6 innings. It is rather odd that one of the older pitchers in the market will probably be the highest paid pitcher as well. But seeing all the numbers, he’s worth it.
Max Scherzer is looking for max money
Scherzer is predicted to make about $35 million per year for 2 to 3 years. He would only trail Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole according to average annual value ($36 million). One thing that is also an anomaly is that he is a right-handed pitcher.
The Dodgers’ rotation currently consists of Walker Buehler, Julio Urías and Tony Gonsolin. The Dodgers did add Andrew Heaney for a one-year contract worth $8 million but he probably needs to win his starting spot.
What does Dodgers’ payroll look like?
The Dodgers do have the capacity to sign Scherzer at that value but that will change if they re-sign Seager. However since they Dodgers traded for Scherzer at the deadline, they seem to have Bauer out of their minds. They seem to be planning for Bauer to be suspended which will free up over $30 million over the next two year. That of course will mean that they can re-sign Scherzer and Seager.
At this point, the Dodgers can sign whoever they want. As long as Bauer is suspended before the season starts, then they won’t be liable to pay any of his salary. So as of right now, expect the Dodgers to be all-in on Scherzer.
