The Detroit Tigers could trade starting pitcher and CY Young award contender Max Scherzer this coming winter, a source close to situation reported on Monday.
According to CBS Sports baseball insider Danny Knobler, the Tigers may look into the possibility of using Scherzer as a trade piece to get a nice haul of assets before the pitcher's contract expires at the end of next season.
Scherzer emerged as the finest starting hurler in the big leagues this season after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts this season.
Looking into the Scherzer Situation
The 29-year-old Scherzer will enter the final year of arbitration and is scheduled to command a lucrative contract when he becomes a free agent after the 2014 season.
The Tigers are already committed to three major contracts with Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, making another big deal with Scherzer very impossible.
However, general manager Domb Dombrowski stressed that Scherzer won't be traded and the Tigers are open to signing him to another $20 million per year deal.
One major league executive believed the Tigers are just using the trade rumor as a 'tactic' to hurry up the contract negotiations with Scherzer.
"It might be posturing to try to influence Scherzer to engage in a long-term contract. Try to scare him that he will get traded so he can pressure [agent] Scott Boras. It won't work, but I think that's the tactic," the executive stated in a report by Joel Sherman of New York Post.
Risky Move
Sherman, on the other hand, believed the Tigers are still capable of signing another starter to a lucrative deal, but doing so will absolutely undermine their supporting cast.
"Scherzer can be a free agent after the 2014 campaign. In Cabrera, Fielder and Verlander, Detroit already has three contracts of $20 million-plus annually, and Cabrera comes free after the 2015 season. When I asked if the Tigers could afford four mega-contracts, Dombrowski said in theory, yes, but it would probably mean incorporating inexpensive, youngsters in many areas," he said.
Cardinals Young Guns
In Knobler's latest report, he talked about the Cardinals having good problems due to the influx of very young pitchers such as 22-year-old Michael Wacha, 22-year-old Carlos Martinez and 23-year-old Trevor Rosenthal, who are doing damage against opposing teams this postseason.
Knobler speculated that the Cardinals could look into a trade by sending some of its 'young arms' in exchange for Scherzer.
"Some rival officials have wondered whether the Cardinals might want to trade some of those young pitchers, perhaps even for someone like local kid Max Scherzer, who will likely win the American League Cy Young but could be dealt by the Tigers," stated by Knobler.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
