By Mark Wilson
January 19, 2015

Ladies and gents, we’ve got ourselves another $30 million dollar per year baseball pitcher.

He’s your very own Max Scherzer, Detroit.

Well, he’s not YOURS anymore.

Mr. Scherzer goes to Washington.

Unlike the similar title of the 1939 movie, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” I guarantee Max is making a few bucks more than the star of the film, Jimmy Stewart.

Wow, that 1939 in the movie biz!

Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, Stagecoach and Mr. Smith; a cornucopia of terrific acting talent right there.

COMBINED— they didn’t come close to Scherzer.

About a year ago, I predicted that where ever Max ended up, he would get… seven years and $210 million. It was obvious what he wanted and his agent, Scott Boras, wasn’t shy about admitting it.

$30 million per annum on average.

Fantastic.

Whether Scherzer is worth over 200 million buck-a-rinos is the debate that will dominate sports talk radio the next few days.

Whether ANYONE is worth $30 million a year, actual or on average, is another question.

Justin Verlander, the Tigers’ former ace who hopes to get back to that level, enters the first year of his five year extension. J.V. will start “earning” checks that total $28 million a year.

For the next five baseball seasons, Verlander gets a salary that was more paying it backwards than a look to the future. He’ll be 36 years old when the deal is complete.

Oh, and should J.V. finish “Top 5” in the 2019 Cy Young Award voting, he will automatically be vested in for a $22 million dollar salary in 2020.

THAT is some 20/20 vision.

Justin inked that deal before the start of the 2013 campaign.

Since he snaked Mike Ilitch for the richest deal by a pitcher in MLB history, his record is 28-and-24 with an ERA over 4.00, 188 runs allowed and declining strikeout numbers since his 250 in 2011.

Scherzer’s stats the last two seasons FAR exceed his old teammate’s totals.

That’s why Max had to have more dough.

He made a paltry $15,525,000 in his arbitration year this past season.

I’m not even sure how he made it day to day on only a shade over $15-mil.

Probably had to buy all the generic brands at Kroger.

Ok, ha ha.

Seriously folks, he may not have said it publicly, but privately he knew he had eclipsed Verlander as a primo right handed starter in the majors.

When the supposed contract offer of $144 million by the Tigers was leaked last winter, it had suspicion written all over it.

On one hand, Boras said it didn’t go down that way and Tigers’ Prez/GM Dave Dombrowski was hesitant to say that was a real offering.

Hmmm.

I never believed either there WAS an offer OR… that the Scherzer camp had any interest in staying in Detroit.

As much success as the Tigers have had with Max; I felt he wanted to move on and go for the big money somewhere else.

Scherzer has led the American League in victories the past TWO seasons; totaling 39 against just eight losses. His 492 strikeouts are “otherworldly.”

His ERA is right around 3.00 and he’s allowed far less hits than innings pitched.

If ANYONE deserves to hit the baseball lottery… it’s Mad Max.

At age 30, the University of Missouri product is right now in the middle of what is known as a “baseball prime.” It’s that age between 28 and 32.

The Nationals saw an opportunity to add Scherzer to a rotation that already features his former Tigers’ pal Doug Fister and try to win that elusive Washington World Series.

D.C. hasn’t seen a World Series champion since 1924.

It’s also the ONLY champion D.C. has ever seen in baseball.

Bucky Harris was the manager, Walter “Big Train” Johnson was the star and they played at Griffith Stadium named for owner Clark Griffith.

Calvin Coolidge was President of the United States.

Granted, once the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins, the expansion Senators of ’61 never had a chance under unfair rules.

In 1972, the Senators moved to Texas to become the Rangers.

Not until 2005, when the Montreal Expos were transported to Washington, did the nation’s political hot seat enjoy baseball again.

Nevertheless, D.C. has been dying for another trip to the fall classic.

The current Nationals’ group has made the playoffs and won two N.L. East divisions, but Scherzer is expected to be the missing piece to the World Series puzzle.

$210 million bucks?

A drop in a lobbyist’s bucket to make it to the Promised Land.

Risky? You betcha.

Odds are that Max won’t be able to keep up his current pace. Few pitchers can keep that kind of roll going. Three pitchers are headed to the Hall of Fame and Scherzer is good but he isn’t Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez.

He may be close to John Smoltz but still… we’re comparing Max to HOF’ers.

Scherzer has a long ways to go before anyone is going to start talking about Cooperstown.

The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Clayton Kershaw seven years and $215 million; $32.5 mil this year to kick it off.

Kershaw is only 26.

Four years is a HUGE difference for a pitcher in pro baseball. Plus, Kershaw has TWO more Cy Young Awards than Scherzer AND Kershaw is a lefty.

The breakdown of Max’s contract is interested as well.

HALF is deferred money.

Inflation aside, Max will get his $210 million spread out over 14 years. Technically, Verlander makes more per year by far than Scherzer even though Max will enjoy payments through 2029.

Doing it that way also cuts down on any luxury tax that the Nationals will owe.

As long as this thing is paid in American dollars and not South African Krugerrands, who cares?

210 mil is… 210 mil.

Slice it, dice it and make julienne fries.

Max just got the WHOPPER he was looking for.

No one really wanted to believe Dombrowski when he said Scherzer was “off the table.”

The day the Tigers acquired Alfredo Simon from the Reds, D.D. claimed, “Our rotation is set.”

David Price, and his one year, $19.75 million deal, Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Simon and Shane Greene.

That’s your starting five, Motown.

Rick Porcello was dealt to Boston and Scherzer is now a Washington Nat.

Change is inevitable in all sports; not just baseball.

There might still be tweaks with the pitching staff that include the starters. Most important will be the health of Sanchez.

Anibal is beginning just the second year of a five year deal he inked after 2013.

$16 million plus is what Sanchez gets through 2017 and ’18 as well if the Tigers don’t exercise a buyout clause.

An injury kept Sanchez to 21 starts in 2014. He got his cash based on 2013 when he won 14 times and led the A.L. in ERA at 2.57.

Last year’s earned run average jumped to 3.43.

In the abbreviated playoffs, Anibal pitched only two innings in relief.

When he reports to Lakeland for spring training next month, we’ll see if Sanchez is healthy and ready to rock.

Simon and Greene played in Cincinnati and New York respectively last year.

It remains arguable that they are adequate replacements for Scherzer and Porcello.

We will find out soon enough.

Let’s face it, not often does a team win FOUR consecutive division titles and change two/fifths of its starting rotation.

But, Ilitch isn’t getting any younger (he turns 86 on July 20) and has been in failing health recently.

Ilitch surfaced at the press conference when the Tigers locked up Victor Martinez and did not look well. He’s owned the team for more than 20 years now and, like the Nationals, is looking for that elusive World Series crown.

Detroit went twice under previous manager Jim Leyland and had ONE win in the World Series to show for it versus EIGHT losses.

St. Louis and San Francisco were the beneficiaries of the Tigers’ misfortunes.

There is also the matter of that new hockey rink.

Since Sanchez, the lone Tiger to receive a big contract is Martinez. Quite frankly, what V-Mart signed was fairly pedestrian for his talent level. Ilitch got a break because of Victor’s age.

Miguel Cabrera’s enormous extension was signed with “house money.” Ilitch planned to give Miggy the deal and had that budgeted.

Don’t forget, Cabrera’s roll doesn’t begin until NEXT YEAR.

As part of his previous contract, Miggy only pulls in $22 million in 2015.

Starting in 2016, Cabrera’s salary rises to a lofty $28 million.

After that, it gets absurd.

It stays $28-mil in 2017 before spiking to $30-mil in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The crescendo comes in 2022 and 2023 when Miggy banks $32 million each season.

A top ten in the MVP voting in ’23 guarantees the well decorated first baseman and Triple Crown winner another $30 million in 2024. Finish top ten AGAIN in ’24, and yet ANOTHER $30-mil kicks in for 2025.

Sheesh.

Cabrera will be 42 years old in futuristic sounding ‘25.

Just looking at the numbers sheet is exhausting. It looks fake; like someone penciled in those dollar signs and zeros for the fun of it.

Maybe it’s looking more ridiculous since Miggy only took a dip of about TWENTY home runs last season.

He went from back to back 44 homer seasons to a measly 25 in 2014.

For a “home run hitter” that’s not good.

Last time he hit as few as 25, was his 2003 rookie season in Miami. Miggy hit 12 that year but in only 87 games.

Yeah, Ilitch is on the hook for some sick money.

The hockey rink (District Detroit formally) is going to end up costing Ilitch somewhere in the neighborhood of half a BILLION bucks; maybe more.

Nice neighborhood!

I believe part of the reason he didn’t want Dombrowski even entering any contract talks with Scherzer was the hockey rink project.

At some point, his family had to convince him that the Ilitch legacy is not going to be his sports teams but in fact… his “district.”

Four Stanley Cup trophies solidified his era as owner of the Red Wings. You can see how times have changed over at Joe Louis Arena.

No longer are the Wings in the market for big free agents.

The days of bringing in a Brett Hull or Chris Chelios or Luc Robitaille or Dom Hasek are long over.

Now, the pipeline to success for the Wings is whatever Ken Holland can do to stock the minor league Grand Rapids Griffins.

Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist are the new Hull and Robitaille. Peter Mrazek is the new Hasek.

When Joe Nathan inked that two year deal for $20 million, someone suggested to me that I was full of horse manure.

I said the Tigers SAVED money by signing Nathan.

The combo of Jose Veras and Joaquin Benoit would have cost Ilitch MORE than what they spent on Nathan to be the sole closer.

Nathan’s struggles forced Dombrowski to bring in three guys to make up the difference.

Joel Hanrahan never made it to the majors. Jim Johnson was a bust and Joakim Soria was a decent addition.

Soria is still relatively cheap at $7 million this season.

Johnson is gone to Atlanta and Hanrahan came in on a $1 million dollar flyer.

Nathan is guaranteed $10 million for this campaign and then a buyout exists for 2016.

So, getting rid of Prince Fielder’s gaudy deal last year and letting Max go to Washington saves a lot of money, honey.

Dombrowski catches a break with Max too.

The Tigers don’t play the Nationals.

No matter what Scherzer does with his new friends like Bryce Harper and Gio Gonzalez in D.C., he can’t directly hurt Detroit from his perch along the Potomac.

I go a step further.

If the Tigers see Scherzer pitching against them this year then… we’re talking about a World Series.

Worry about THAT when/if the time comes.

Detroit should be so lucky to worry about that.

Ya know, it’s funny.

From 1988 until 2006, the Tigers weren’t even in the discussion for post-season play. Fans just wanted a competitive squad. They would sell their souls for a group that could compete.

Once they surprised the MLB world with the improbable fall classic appearance in ’06, simply winning divisions or making the playoffs isn’t good enough anymore.

No sir, no ma’am.

30 years have passed since Sparky led the Tigers to the 1984 World Series championship over the Padres.

GOING to a pair of World Series’ didn’t cut it since it was five games and out to the Cardinals and a four game sweep to those mighty Giants.

There’s a feel that the run may be over.

Of course, don’t tell that to Brad Ausmus.

It is HIS charge now to try and get this group to October baseball.

Well, everyone plays October ball in ’15 since the regular season doesn’t end until October 4th. But, you know what I mean.

The Ausmus haters will be out in full force if this unit doesn’t win a FIFTH straight A.L. Central.

The Royals went to the World Series while the White Sox and Indians are improved. Paul Molitor now manages the Twins.

Winning the Central won’t be nearly as easy without Porcello and Scherzer.

Not even close.

Unless Simon and Greene have some magic in those arms and Verlander returns to his “old Cy MVP self” I dare say Kansas City goes in as the favorite.

It is a position the Tigers have not been in for some time.

As I said, we’ve gotten used to the Tigers being GOOD.

2003 isn’t that long ago.

Lest we forget, 119 losses dotted the landscape in this town. Good SECTIONS were available at Comerica Park. Detroit was second to last that season in attendance drawing less than 1.4 million folks.

Mike Maroth, of all people, led the team with NINE pitching victories while losing 21 games.

Alex Sanchez, the first MLB player busted for steroids in 2005, LED the team in steals while Dmitri Young led in batting average.

Yuck!

No one wants that again.

The Tigers rapid rise back was based on MONEY.

Giving big deals to Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez when others weren’t as generous helped get the stench and stink of 119 record-setting losses out of our noses.

Those days seem to fading.

It is not a fire sale, don’t get me wrong.

Dombrowski went through that in BOTH Montreal and Florida. If anyone knows a fire sale, it’s double-D.

Price should be interesting in that regard.

DP14 is the one remaining current Tiger who either needs a new deal… or needs to be dealt.

He will work on a one year pre-arbitration settled contract. It pays him nearly $20 million for ’15.

Price obviously wants something done or he’ll also leave via free agency next winter.

Rumors of a James Shields sighting are also interesting.

Do the Tigers really have interest in “Big Game James?”

Also, is he REALLY a big game guy?

Shields remains the biggest name left in free agency for THIS winter. Someone is going to give him quality samolians.

I’ll believe the Tigers are on radar for Shields, when I see it.

“Our rotation is set.”

Tough to get past that statement from Dombrowski because he said it with such conviction.

So far he’s holding to it since Porcello works in Boston and Scherzer is looking for a house in McLean, Virginia.

Ausmus will be the one who must put the pieces together.

Good luck with that, Brad.

You’re going to need it.

As for Max, it was a good five year stay.

We got to know a pretty decent dude with the multi-color eyeballs. He did good things on the field and in the community.

Scherzer arrived from Arizona with a 9-and-15 lifetime record and left the Motor City with awards and 82 additional victories versus only 35 additional losses.

He went from a prospect… to a bona fide STAR.

Now, he is off to Washington but he best not forget his tenure in front of the loyal Tigers’ faithful.

He has 210 million reasons to say thank you.