Jordan Zimmermann Is Best Ace Available in the MLB Offseason

When all is said and done—when the contracts have been inked and the trades consummated—this may well go down as the offseason of the pitcher.

First, there are the marquee names, game changers like Jon Lester and Max Scherzer who every team is either pursuing or pining after.

After that, there's a wealth of intriguing arms—James Shields, Francisco Liriano, Ervin Santana, Jake Peavy, the list goes on—who would slot nicely into almost any rotation.

Another hurler, though, has emerged as perhaps the best available. If he's truly available. 

We're talking, of course, about Jordan Zimmermann. 

As the season ended and the hot stove crackled to life, Zimmermann wasn't the first name on anyone's lips. He's signed with the Washington Nationals through 2015, and with him in the mix the Nats are once again favorites in the National League East.

Looking further down the road, however, the picture is murkier. Doug Fister, Zimmermann's co-ace last year, is also set to hit the market next winter, as are center fielder Denard Span and shortstop Ian Desmond. And Stephen Strasburg, another cog in Washington's stellar starting five, will be a fee agent after 2016.

Player	Age	2014 IP	ERA	WHIP
Jordan Zimmermann	28	199.2	2.66	1.072
Jon Lester*	30	219.2	2.46	1.102
Max Scherzer*	30	220.1	3.15	1.175

It's possible the Nats could bust the budget and re-sign everyone, but it seems unlikely. The smarter move would be to at least dangle some of their talent and see who bites.

And so we got the hottest scuttlebutt, non-Giancarlo Stanton division, to emanate from the general managers meetings in Phoenix: The Chicago Cubs were "in talks" to acquire Zimmermann, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. 

The buzz was later shot down by multiple sources, including CSN Chicago's Patrick Mooney. And Nats GM Mike Rizzo told James Wagner of The Washington Post there was "no basis" to the rumor. 

Still, at the very least, the lid was popped on the idea of Zimmermann being available...for a price.

Make that a steep price, per ESPN.com's David Schoenfield, who cited a report that "had the Nationals expecting three major-league ready prospects in return for Zimmermann."

Schoenfield's take? "That's simply not going to happen."

Why not? Sure, that's a huge ask—but Zimmerman is a huge asset. He's just 28 and coming off a season that honestly deserved more buzz: 2.66 ERA, 1.072 WHIP, 182 SO, 199.2 IP. 

He's owed $16.5 million next season, which could end up looking like a bargain compared to the piles of cash Lester and Scherzer will command.

Yes, he'd be a one-year rental unless whatever team acquired him could negotiate an extension. There are reasons to be cautious.

Again, though, we're talking about perhaps the best, youngest arm available. A guy who posted the highest WAR (5.2) among National League pitchers not named Clayton Kershaw, per FanGraphs. A guy who twirled a no-hitter on the season's final day. A guy, just 28, entering his prime.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Recall what Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, "It's really important...to pay for what a player will do, not necessarily for what they have done."

In the case of Zimmermann, both apply. Pay him for what he did; pay him for what he will do. Either way, you can't go wrong.

The list of clubs with the chips to deal for Zimmermann is short, and it's possible they'll all get what they need on the market or acquire another top-shelf arm—like, say, the Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Hamels. 

If Zimmermann is moved, though—if Rizzo and company decide stocking up for the future is more important than going all-in now—it'll shift the balance of power somewhere...and add another memorable wrinkle to the offseason of the pitcher.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.