Looking Back on Best Free Agent Signing in Washington Nationals History

It has now been over a decade since the ink dried, so let's take a look back on the best free agent signing in Washington Nationals history.

May 9, 2017; Baltimore, MD, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (31) looks in for sign against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have existed in their current iteration since 2005, after the Montreal Expos moved to the Nation's Capital, leaving the Great White North as a country with only one MLB team.

While the club has had many stars throughout their 20 seasons of play, there may be none that stand out quite like "Mad" Max Scherzer.

It has now been over a decade since the ace signed with the franchise, and in that time, the Nationals won a World Series, the first in team history.

Scherzer cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer while in Washington with six National League All-Star appearances in seven years, two National League Cy Young Awards, and three top-ten National League MVP finishes.

The ace pitched to a 2.80 ERA across 1,229 innings in 189 starts with 1,610 strikeouts and a 152 ERA+ with the Nationals, serving as one of the best pitchers in the sport during that time, and certainly the most consistent.

It all came together on January 19, 2015. Scherzer was coming off of two spectacular campaigns with the Detroit Tigers, winning an American League Cy Young in 2013, and turned down a six-year, $144 million deal to stay with the team.

The gamble paid off for the ace, and a seven-year, $210 million contract with Washington would be his prize. At the time, it ranked as the second-largest contract ever given to a pitcher.

The signing marked the start of the best run in franchise history, seeing Bryce Harper win his first MVP that very year and the club would make the playoffs in three of the next four seasons. They would win it all in 2019, beating the Houston Astros in seven games of what is still considered one of the best World Series of all time.

2019 would mark the last time the team would finish above-.500 (to this point), and in 2021, the last year of Scherzer's contract, the Nationals traded the ace to the Los Angeles Dodgers to give him another chance to compete in the playoffs.

Two of the players the club received for Scherzer have reached the Majors, Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz, while Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey have yet to reach that level and are now with the Texas Rangers and the Dodgers organizations respectively.

Scherzer is approaching his age-40 season, and still intends to be a starter, though he has yet to sign with a team in free agency this winter.

Injuries and a decline in the ace's ability when he is on the field have taken their toll, and Scherzer is not the pitcher that he once was anymore.

It was a magical ride for Scherzer in Washington, one that no one will ever forget.

Now over 10 years since the ink dried on the contract, it is still the best free agent signing in the history of the franchise.