Say hey, baseball: Max Scherzer signs, James Shields waits

Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day, and trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk isn’t easy. It’s OK, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end.

Max Scherzer is on the Nationals now. The final details are still being worked out, but the deal is for over $180 million in guaranteed cash over seven years, so this thing is happening. The Nationals have been linked to Scherzer for the entire offseason, but they needed to make room in their rotation to make it happen, and Scherzer’s agent, Scott Boras, wasn’t going to rush to make a deal for $180 million while the chance for $200 million or more still existed. The Nats didn’t trade a starter yet -- they certainly can now -- but the dream for $200 million of guaranteed money died with the Yankees making it clear they weren’t getting involved.

So, now the Nationals have free agents to be in both Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann in addition to Scherzer. They could trade one of them before the season begins in order to bolster their farm system and give Tanner Roark a rotation spot back, or they could be super greedy and keep all five with Roark working as insurance and also a bullpen piece to help them replace Tyler Clippard, who they traded to the A’s last week. That probably won’t happen -- Roark had a wonderful 2014 in the rotation -- but it’s still disheartening to imagine the Nats hoarding all the pitching like that just the same.

The Nationals were already the best team in the National League, and now they have Scherzer. One of the biggest concerns with the team going forward was what would happen to the rotation if Fister and Zimmermann both departed in a year, but now they have Scherzer then, too, as well as prospects Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole, both of whom are expected to be ready at some point in 2016. Their window isn’t closing anytime soon, which is just what Mets and Braves and Marlins fans were hoping to hear while they all seek relevance once more.

Meanwhile, James Shields is still out there, and his age (33) means he isn’t going to get anything close to Scherzer’s deal. At this point, he might not even get half, with Ken Rosenthal saying some execs are expecting a four-year deal in the $70 million to $80 million range for Shields. The Blue Jays might be the team who adds him, and they could still use the help. While their lineup has been revamped, the rotation is leaning elderly at the top and possibly too youthful at the bottom. Shields would be a consistent, predictable force to tie it all together and give them more depth.