Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — With the exit of Max Scherzer to the Mets a fait accompli, Dodger fans can rightly ask whether or not they should have been more aggressive in trying retain the services of one Mr. Scherzer for next season and beyond. The answer to me would be “it depends.”
First and foremost, Scherzer is getting a monster contract for a guy who will be turning 38 next July. He’s got a lot of mileage on the parts, and one only has to think back to the “dead arm” situation of last season to know that every pitcher, even a Cy Young winner, is going to reach a point where he is no longer effective. I’m guessing the Mets will get one more productive year out of him, maybe two. But Scherzer snagged a three-year deal with the Mets, and that might have been a bridge too far for the Dodgers and Andrew Friedman.
Plus, it’s important to appreciate Scherzer for what he was to the team. He was an emergency hire to paper over other losses in starting rotation. With Dustin May down for the year, Kershaw out in July, and Trevor Bauer being Trevor Bauer, the Dodgers needed an ace to fill those empty spots in the rotation. Scherzer was great in that role, and for that we can be grateful. But he was never a part of a Dodgers’ core of talent. He was a hired gunslinger brought in to do a job, and we shouldn’t invest much more emotional energy in him than that.
So what does that leave us? Putting the complicated and messy Trevor Bauer situation to the side for the moment, that gives us Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May, and newcomer Andrew Heaney all under contract. David Price is also still around for what it’s worth. So is Tony Gonsolin. Prospects Mitch White and Andre Jackson both showed moments of true promise during the season. So it’s not as if Dave Roberts is hurting for options for starters even without Scherzer.
However, I do think that with an exit of Scherzer, that puts more pressure on the Dodgers to make a deal with Clayton Kershaw. I for one would feel a lot better with Buehler, Urias, Kershaw in the 1-2-3 holes in the rotation. Plus, the true aces in the free agent market seem to have mostly been gobbled up already. Perhaps Andrew Friedman let Scherzer go because he was planning to invest resources into signing Kershaw. And while he’s at it, he can bring back Kenley and Corey for good measure.
The Dodgers are sure to make some more big moves, maybe before the day is out. Stay tuned!!
