Former Washington Nationals Legend Wants To Remain Starting Pitcher

One of the past Washington Nationals legends wants to remain a starting pitcher despite his market being small and rumors suggesting he's inline for a role change.

Jul 13, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; National League starting pitcher Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals (31) during the 2021 MLB All Star Game at Coors Field | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's been a long five seasons since the Washington Nationals won their franchise's first-ever World Series title in 2019.

Since that point, the front office has had to undergo a teardown rebuild when they didn't make the playoffs in 2020 to defend their championship and many of their stars either departed in free agency, were shipped out of town, retired, or saw their level of play drop.

The real tipping point was the decision to trade Juan Soto.

After he declined the extension offer to remain with the Nationals, they sent him to the San Diego Padres which brought back a return that allowed them to fully embrace the rebuild they're currently in.

While the Soto trade is the one that gets the headlines, the start of their roster renovation really occurred when Max Scherzer was shipped out of town to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the trade deadline a year prior in 2021.

It's hard to say the future Hall of Famer wasn't the most impactful signing in franchise history.

Scherzer inked a seven-year, $210 million contract ahead of the 2015 season, and he won two NL Cy Young Awards, was runner-up once, had five top five finishes and was selected to the All-Star game in every first half of the year he was in Washington except the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Most importantly, though, he was a huge reason why the Nationals won the World Series.

Since he left the nation's capital, Scherzer has become a bit of a mercenary during the latter stages of his career, signing with the New York Mets in free agency before he was acquired by the Texas Rangers in 2023 to help them win a ring.

Now, after the Rangers decided to not re-sign him, he's looking for his next home.

There was some thought the right-hander would change roles, turning into a closer at this stage of his career since he's coming off an injury-riddled season where he was limited to just nine starts and 43.1 innings pitched.

However, it doesn't sound like that's in the cards for the Nationals legend.

"... I asked that question, and the answer was, 'not terribly likely,' is what I was told. Never to say never on this, but I checked with someone close to Max who said the focus is still, yes, pitching in 2025 and, to an extent, doing so as a starting pitcher," insider Jon Morosi said on MLB Network.

Where that opportunity comes will be seen.

At 40 years old, Scherzer likely wants to sign with a contender, but based on the way he looked last season, it's hard to imagine that opportunity will come.

Washington also signed two different veterans, so a reunion seems very unlikely with them having a full rotation at this point in time, but perhaps if the price is right, then something can get worked out.