It’s amazing to me the vitriol, the anger, the mean-spirited statements I have seen in regards to Max Scherzer leaving the Detroit Tigers. I get it, a lot of us liked Max and envisioned him becoming another Tiger pitcher that may one day dare we say go to the Hall of Fame. I like Max and in that spirit, I wish him a hale and hearty farewell.
A Cy Young award, top fifteen in strikeouts every season in Detroit, started the All Star Game in 2013, won the 2014 classic, went 82-35 in his time wearing the Olde English D. Detroit made him a very fair offer of 6 years at 144 million dollars, a cool 26 mil a season. He said in essence; ‘no, I will gamble on myself and expect to make more than that thank you’.
In the end, The Washington Nationals found 7 years for Max and 210 million dollars. Kudos. You should have you and your children’s children set up financially for life and all the best. That should be our attitude. Max owes us nothing. Of course here’s where we hear “but where’s the loyalty?” or “Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial…they all stayed!” yes they did but there was an evil little trick the owners had in their pocket called “the reserve clause” that basically said “I can sign you to a one year contract and hold on to your rights as long as I want.” When there is no free agency, well loyalty is merely a by-product and not a real feeling. They don’t “love” you, it’s in essence Stockholm Syndrome. They asked Joe DiMaggio what would happen if there was no reserve clause in his day, he was standing next to George Steinbrenner, he glanced at The Boss and said “I would say ‘George, we’re about to become partners!” When you see Tony Gwynn stay in San Diego, Alan Trammell stay in Detroit, Cal Ripken stay in Baltimore, that’s your loyalty. Any of those players could have left but loved baseball and loved the city they represented and that’s commendable.
Another flaw in the loyalty argument is that the Tigers were not the team that weaned Maxwell M. Scherzer. Nope, he had career years here and I suspect that he will be hard pressed to duplicate that same success in Washington, but, the team that drafted and groomed him were the Arizona Diamondbacks. Now the D-backs were the ones that may have utilized Scherzer’s success and then he leaves and they could cry their crocodile tears of loyalty…but they traded him. But, but, wha, wha, wha happened (RIP Stuart Scott) to the cries of loyalty for the D-backs for Max? Oh, they’re trying to win now…or their rebuilding or whatever it was they were doing…but what they weren’t doing was being loyal to Max Scherzer. Why is it we can accept a trade (Porcello for Cespedes can only help us…in a sarcastic font) yet Max is a dog?
So as I said at the beginning, thank you Max, you gave us the best years of your career; I wish you the best in Washington until you play Detroit then I hope we shoved your 210 million dollar fastball down your throat…best of luck.
