WASHINGTON - Late on the night of Sunday, Jan. 15, 2015, the Washington Nationals shocked the baseball world.
A franchise steeped in starting pitching only added to that embarrassment of riches – by signing Max Scherzer to a seven-year deal worth $210 million dollars.
The free-agent signing allowed Scherzer to make the move from the Detroit Tigers to Washington.
And the deal came in a winter that the Nationals were trying to decide what to do with starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and shortstop Ian Desmond, both of whom were drafted and developed by the franchise (Desmond was drafted by Montreal).