The New York Yankees have been quiet regarding the free agency of ace pitcher Max Scherzer, and Scherzer's agent Scott Boras seems interested in getting them involved. With Jon Lester signed in Chicago, Scherzer is now the top arm on the market and asking to be paid like it.
According to reports Scherzer wants $200 million-plus; Lester's deal with the Cubs was for six years and $155 million. Boras believes a pitcher of Scherzer's caliber can help the Yankees revisit their formula for establishing a dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
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"That model of having 50 wins and 600 innings [from the top three starters] has worked very well for them," Boras told The Wall Street Journal. "You can go back and find when Clemens was the No. 1, or Mussina was the No. 1, or Pettitte. They won a lot of world championships with that formula."
Scherzer won the American League Cy Young in 2013, and had a stellar 2014 to follow it up. Last year he was the Tigers' ace, going 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a career-high 252 strikeouts.
The Yanks spent big on an ace last offseason, landing Japanese import Masahiro Tanaka, but have injury concerns about fellow starter Michael Pineda, and have witnessed a sharp decline in the performance of CC Sabathia.
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Tanaka also suffered a torn UCL last year that limited him. While he avoided Tommy John surgery, there is always the lingering concern that it could be around the corner. That's why Boras is hyping the depth Scherzer would add to the Yankees' rotation.
"The idea of them having No. 1 pitchers certainly would add protection to where their current pitchers are-take innings off of them, give them a little bit of an umbrella," Boras said.
"We have someone to lead, be the No. 1. I can't predict what the Yankees are going to do, but I can tell you that a guy like Max fits into their starting rotation to develop a World Series-caliber set that is similar to what they've had in the past when they've won."
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