Max Scherzer is still seeking a monster contract in free agency, and the New York Yankees may be gearing up to offer him one. Scherzer is the best free agent starting pitcher still available, and it is believed that he wants a deal approaching a value of $200 million.
The Yankees have made a few moves this offseason, but they have been relatively quiet to this point, at least compared to some other teams around the league like the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, and division rival Boston Red Sox. However, they may be just biding their time.
According to CBS Sports, the Yankees traded reliever Shawn Kelley to the Padres on Monday, which is just the latest in a line of moves this offseason that have reduced New York's payroll for 2015. The Yankees also saved some money in the Nathan Eovaldi trade and by trading backup catcher Francisco Cervelli.
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It is not like the Yankees are suddenly a frugal franchise; they are still projected to have an opening day payroll of around $220 million next year, but they could be trying to move toward making a splash. GM Brian Cashman has already admitted that more moves are likely on the way:
Kelley: “[Cash] said he hated to see me go, but they have some things they’re doing, things they’re working on, and it was part of new plan”
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) December 29, 2014
As difficult as it is to trust a quote from a recently-traded player, it is easy to envision a scenario where the Yankees wanted to shuffle some pieces around and save a little money before making a monster offer to Scherzer to have him headline their rotation for the forseeable future.
The team has a history of splurging on name-brand free agents, and although that has tapered off a bit since George Steinbrenner passed away, the team still loves to steal headlines with landscape-altering deals. The Scherzer signing would be such a move, and it would fill an important need for the Yankees.
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