When the Detroit Tigers surprisingly swapped Prince Fielder (and his hefty contract) for Ian Kisler, most assumed that they would use those long-term savings to lock up AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to a deal. Scherzer is otherwise a free agent after the season, and there were whispers before that deal went down that the Tigers would consider offers for Scherzer.
Unfortunately for folks already unnerved by a tight trade market for Jeff Samardzija, those whispers are popping back up.
Jeff Passan reports that Scherzer is “definitely in play,” and although nothing is imminent, teams know that he can be had. If true, it’s another top arm available on the market. No, Scherzer doesn’t come with the two years of control that would accompany Samardzija or David Price, but he’s coming off an enormous year, and is just 29. He could command a significant return, and could be the preferred trade option for a number of teams.
With Scherzer and Justin Masterson reportedly on the market, together with Price and Samardzija, teams certainly have a number of trade options for shorter-term front-of-the-rotation arms. And then there are the free agent options, and Masahiro Tanaka …