The Tigers' workhorse is arguably the top starter on the market this year, on a list which also includes Jon Lester and James Shields. And he would also garner the most expensive contract.
According to CBS Sports, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the Yankees and Scherzer start talking:
The Yankees and Scherzer's agent, Scott Boras, are said to have had a brief contact sometime since returning from the GM meetings, and word is the Yankees may "revisit" their inclination not to make any big expenditures this winter.
The early word was that they were going to avoid the biggest free agents, and that seems to hold true, with the possible exception of Scherzer. Yankees people have long admired Lester, the other big-time free agent pitcher in his prime, but it seems Scherzer is the one they are seriously considering.
During the GM meetings in Phoenix last Wednesday, Boras was asked what he thought of the Yankees’ reported disinterest in signing a mega-name this offseason.
Boras wasn't convinced.
"The one thing I know about the Yankees is that they’ve been out of the playoffs for two years," Boras said.. "You have to go back to 1992 or 1993 (the last time that happened). The Steinbrenner history has always been, ‘We’re going to win.’ It serves their brand. It serves their model to do anything they can to win. I’m not here to make individual decisions for them but I just know, I think that brand dynamic and trying to win every year has gone pretty well for them the last time I looked."
Boras also championed his client, a 2013 Cy Young winner and ace of just about any rotation he joins.
"Over the last three years he's led Major League Baseball in strikeouts and wins," Boras said. "He has a resume that's off the charts."
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but with their tender-armed pitching roster, it seems the Yankees might have no other choice than making a grandiose move for a proven arm.