The Detroit Tigers Should Hold Out Signing Scherzer

Sep 26, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (37) in the dugout before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

There is 57 days until spring training starts, 92 days until the Detroit Tigers home opener against the Minnesota Twins. In a month catchers and pitchers will start reporting to camps and a couple of weeks later players will join them and the 2015 Major League Baseball spring training season will start.

The Detroit Tigers could be short a star player when spring training starts. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer has yet to resign with the team, or any team for that matter. Scherzer became a free agent after the 2014 season and once getting on the market was asking for a $200 million dollar contract.

Scherzer was 18-5 last season with a 3.15 ERA. He was a reliable pitcher for the Tigers in a season where pitching was lets say questionable at times. The season before that was an even better year for the 30 year old pitcher. He had 21 wins with a 2.90 ERA. Nothing that Max Scherzer has done in his past four seasons as a Tiger would consider him a bad pitcher in anyway, in fact it cmakes him a good pitcher.

However, is Scherzer worth $200 million? Only one pitcher has had a contract worth $200 million or more, that pitcher, three time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw. Here is the ten highest pitcher contracts for the 2015 season.

http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/rankings/contract-value/starting-pitcher/

No offense to Scherzer but he is not worth the same money that Clayton Kershaw is. You can argue and say he is but in comparison Kershaw is younger and will turn 27 at the start of the season, while Scherzer had great numbers the last two season Kershaw has had spectacular numbers.

In December the Chicago Cubs signed Jon Lester to a 6 year $155 million dollar contract. Lester and Scherzer are very similar pitchers in more ways than Scherzer and Kershaw. They are both 30, both have similar numbers, Scherzer had the better record and WAR, but Lester had the better ERA. The two of them helped their teams win games, which you want out of a player on your team.

Scherzer is worth a $155 million, maybe a little bit more, but not $200 million. His high price demand could easily be the reason the market for him is soft. Teams such as the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have dropped out of the running for him, Scherzer is running out of time and teams to sign him. It seems like there is a high chance the Tigers will end up resigning him.

However as the title suggest, the Detroit Tigers should hold out as long as they can on giving him a deal. As time ticks down, so does the amount that he is asking for. Max Scherzer is not a dumb man, he is not going miss any playing time because of contract issues, least he doesn’t seem like a player who would. So the Tigers in a way have the upper hand on him.

You might ask, “well what if someone signs Scherzer out of nowhere and the Tigers are left with a starting pitcher spot open?” Well James Shields is still on the market and while he may be 3 years older than Scherzer he has relatively equal numbers. Also if the Tigers sign Shields they take away a pitcher from a division rival in the Kansas City Royals.

Jun 11, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Carlos Villanueva (33) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Villanueva is still on the market. He is the same age, doesn’t have the best numbers in his eight seasons, but he has played for the Cubs, Blue Jays and Brewers, so make what you want with that. He has gone back and forth from being a starter to relief pitcher. He more than likely will not demand the money that Scherzer is, so you could very easily get him for less.

The again maybe the Tigers don’t sign someone they could use someone from their farm system. It is hard to believe that throughout spring training the Tigers won’t have someone who will be able to fill a 5th starting spot if they cannot resign Scherzer.

This problem isn’t anything new however. Scherzer is represented by Scott Boras who has clients almost routinely hold out for the money they think they deserve. In 2011 Boras client Prince Fielder was signed for $214 million over nine years with the Tigers. Fielder plays in Texas now.

Michael Bourn hit the free agent market in the 2012 offseason and Boras wanted $80 million for seven years. In the end he only landed him $48 million for four years with the Cleveland Indians. That deal was done just days before the start of spring training.

So unless something terrible happens to one of the already known starting pitchers, (which really the only reason Fielder was signed was because Victor Martinez went down with a knee injury training in the Winter) the Tigers don’t have to give into Boras and Scherzer’s $200 million dollar want. In fact at one point in early December Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski didn’t seem to be active in signing Scherzer.

At some point from now to the start of the season someone, either the Tigers or Scherzer and Boras will have to cop out and give into the others demand. At this point in the situation, the Tigers have the upper hand. They sign the pay check that Scherzer is after. As time ticks down to spring training and the regular season, so does the amount of dollars Scherzer will be willing to ask for.

What do you guys think? Should the Tigers give in and give Scherzer the $200 million he wants or wait it out and try to get him for less? Let us know below.