The Washington Nationals may be the only National League franchise never to have made it to the World Series but their capture of Max Scherzer, whom they have reportedly signed to a record breaking contract worth $210m over seven years, shows that they really mean business in 2015 and that they plan on mounting a serious challenge next season.

Double Your Money

The contract is believed to be the biggest ever offered to a right-handed pitcher and includes a record $50m signing fee. For Scherzer, who, after arbitration, agreed a fee of just over $15m for representing the Detroit Tigers in 2014, the Washington Nationals offer represents a doubling of his pay.

The loss of Scherzer will be a blow to the Tigers, who gave him a central role in 2014, allowing him to pitch a complete game against the Chicago White Sox in June and seeing him end the season with an 18-5 record.

His 18 wins was a tied American League record along with Corey Kluber and Jered Weaver.

by  Keith Allison 

Daunting Line Up

Having recorded a career high 252 strike outs in 2014, and pitched a personal record of 220 1/3 innings, Scherzer is right at the top of his game and he is worthy of such a significant investment from the Nationals.

At 30-years-old, the Nationals look to have signed Scherzer, who played his first MLB game for the Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2008, at the peak of his powers and they will get the best out of him for years to come.

Scherzer will join forces with the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Tanner Roark to form one of the most daunting pitching line ups in Major League Baseball and potentially see the Nationals’ rated amongst the betfair.com favourites to win the World Series in 2015.

Laying Down a Marker

The Nationals placed first in the Eastern Division in 2014 and their record of 96-66 was the best in the whole of the National League, but they could not turn their regular season form into post-season glory and they were defeated in four matches by the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants went on to defeat the St Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship series before beating Kansas City Royals in the final of course, but the Nationals will see the failure to get beyond the National League Division Series as a real disappointment.

In signing Scherzer they have laid down a marker for the season to come and have shown their intentions early.

The fans at Nationals Park are desperate for success, and the franchise’s backers are willing to invest in order to deliver that success.

It will surely catch the eye of betting experts who will see them as a force to be reckoned with.

As for Scherzer, who has appeared in the All Star game for the last two seasons, the switch to the National League is a risk but, for the kind of money that is on offer, it is surely a risk worth taking.