Are the Nats ready to run away with the NL East?

Yesterday it was reported that the Nationals and Max Scherzer had agreed upon a 7 year, $210 million deal. More specific details regarding the contract leaked several hours later, including a deferment which will pay Scherzer $105 million over the following 7 years after his contract expires. Essentially, it is a 14 year, $210 million deal. Not that bad for a guy who, only a few seasons ago, was considered a number 3 starter at best.

Courtesy of isportsweb.com

If you asked me where I thought Scherzer would land, I would have never said the Nationals. Instead, a likelier destination would have been to remain with Detroit, or join forces with the Red Sox, Dodgers, or even the Yankees. This move represents a giant leap of faith for Washington, as the future of the franchise lies heavily in Max's arms. 

In the short term, this gives Washington some much needed flexibility. Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann are eligible for free agency after the 2015 season, and Strasburg as well after 2016. Some of the money they are saving by deferring Scherzer should be used to retain one of them, or else a trade by midseason would be likely. 

In the long term, this will most likely be dreadful for the Nats. Now, call me bias, call me a Nationals hater. It doesn't bother me. When you are paying a guy $105 million over the course of 7 years to NOT play for you, you better make sure he brings you at least a championship before his contract expires. 

Courtest of espn.go.com

It appears as if Nats owner Ted Learner is willing to go all-in to make his team World Series contenders. With the rotation of Scherzer, Strasburg, Zimmermann, Fister, and Gio Gonzalez, the Nats are prime to do just that. Also, let's not forget Tanner Roark, a winner of 15 games during the 2014 season, who is waiting in the bullpen barring any injuries to the starting five. 

In terms of the Mets, this move obviously doesn't help their chances next season. The Mets were ready to give the Nationals a run for their money, but this move almost certainly seems to push Washington over the top, if they weren't there already. The window for the Mets to win is right now, so the best thing they can do is pull off a big trade to retaliate this move. 

It's a strange situation for Mets fans to be in right now, simply because they want the team to spend the money to bring in these 1st tiered players, but become restless when the player reaches that 5th or 6th season of the deal and can no longer perform to a high level. This is an extremely bold move for Washington, and as Mets fan I can only hope the team finds some stroke of luck by sneaking in the wildcard spot.