The Detroit Tigers offered Max Scherzer a six-year, $144 million extension prior to the 2014 season. The right-hander declined it, played through the season and accepted a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Washington Nationals last month.
Was it the money? Was it a change of scenery? Was he unhappy?
Well it had something to do with money - what Scherzer referred to as the "the business part of the game."
"The business part of the game is ugly," Scherzer told Matt Shepard of WDFN. "I mean, look at it from the other side. I've seen so many of my friends get cut and released and all taken advantage of because at the end of the day, we say it's the business part of the game. I just took advantage of the business side of the game to benefit me."
Scherzer mentioned he and Porcello saw this coming two years ago when they both acknowledged the starting rotation would be eventually broken up due to contract issues and that there was no way they could keep everybody on board. Coincidentally, after Scherzer rejected the lucrative extension from Detroit, he said they weren't interested in negotiating anymore the following offseason. The Tigers also dealt Porcello to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
"There was a point in time where we reached out to the Tigers to see if they were still interested and they conveyed to us that they weren't and that they were fine where there rotation was at. That's where we left it."
But then why reject the $144 million offer?
"It was never about greed or 'I need more money' per se," he added. "It was a business decision and trying to maximize what you're worth."
Scherzer said he had some of the best moments of his career in Detroit and he felt like he didn't leave on bad terms. Now he'll join a starting rotation in Washington that consists of Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez. What does he think about joining perhaps the best rotation in baseball?
"On paper it looks good, but I gotta see these guys up close and personal to really see what they can bring to the table."
