Washington, DC (SportsNetwork. Hyun-Jin Ryu Dodgers Jersey .com) - The Washington Nationals made it official on Wednesday, announcing a seven-year contract for free-agent pitcher Max Scherzer. The deal is reportedly worth $210 million. Scherzer turned down a $160 million offer last year from the Tigers. Whenever you can acquire a player of Max Scherzers ability level, character and toughness on the mound, those opportunities are few and far between, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said. We saw a player that we were extremely interested in. He fits all the criteria were looking for in a Washington Nationals type of player. Hes good between the lines, hes a tough guy, he takes the ball, he gets after it, he attacks hitters. And then in the clubhouse -- magnificent teammate, in the community does nothing but impress everybody he touches. You cant ask for more. Hes the type of guy were looking for. The 30-year-old right-hander began his MLB career with the Diamondbacks organization after being a first-round draft pick in 2006. He broke into the majors in 2008 with Arizona and also played for the Diamondbacks in 2009 before being dealt to Detroit. Scherzer won the 2013 AL Cy Young Award. That season he compiled a 21-3 mark with a 2.90 ERA. Last season, he went 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA. I think this team is capable of winning and winning a lot, Scherzer said. When you look at near term and long term, this is an organization you want to be a part of. I want to win and thats why Im here. With the addition of Scherzer, assuming the Nationals dont deal away any of their top-line projected starters for 2015, Washington will field a rotation that will include Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister. The Nationals had the best ERA in baseball among starting staffs last year at 3.04. They are also coming off a season in which they won 96 games and finished first in the NL East. Over his career, Scherzer has posted a 91-50 record and a 3.58 ERA in 207 games (198 starts). Clayton Kershaw Dodgers Jersey . - Ryan Spooner scored twice to lead the Boston Bruins to a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders in a preseason game Friday night. Corey Seager Dodgers Jersey . He learned about pressure and expectations at the 2010 Games in his hometown of Vancouver. His next mission is to build on that experience at his next Olympic appearance in Sochi, where he plans to ride the momentum from the teams strong start to the season. http://www.dodgerssale.com/dodgers-maury-wills-jersey/ . But history aside, theyre still happy to participate in the Par 3 contest, traditionally held on the day prior to the first round of the Masters.COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire will have less time to remain eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot under changes made Saturday. The Hall of Fames board cut a players eligibility from 15 years to 10, which gives McGwire a maximum of two more appearances on the writers ballot. Bonds, Clemens and Sosa, shunned so far along with other Steroids Era stars, can be considered up to eight more times each by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, dropped from 37.6 per cent to 35.4 last year in his second ballot appearance, well short of the 75 per cent needed for election. Bonds, a seven-time MVP and baseballs career home runs leader, fell from 36.2 per cent to 34.7. McGwire dropped from 16.9 per cent to 11, down from a peak of 25.6 in 2008. Sosa, who hit 609 homers, dropped from 12.5 per cent to 7.2 -- close to falling below the 5 per cent threshold for remaining on the ballot. Three players with 11-15 years will remain eligible: Don Mattingly (15th year in 2015), Alan Trammell (14th) and Lee Smith (13th). A. J. Pollock Jersey. This is just the second change in voting rules since 1985, when the 5 per cent threshold for remaining on the ballot was instituted. In 1991, players on baseballs permanent ineligible list were barred from the ballot, a move that prevented career hits leader Pete Rose from being considered. Rose agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation by Major League Baseball concluded he bet on the Cincinnati Reds to win while managing the team. Members of the BBWAA for 10 consecutive years at any point are eligible to vote. Under another change announced Saturday, eligible voters will be required to complete a registration form and sign a code of conduct, and their names will be made public, but not their individual votes. Dan Le Batard, an ESPN host and Miami Herald columnist, was kicked out of the BBWAA for one year and barred from future Hall votes in January after he turned over his 2014 ballot to a website that allowed readers to choose the selections. ' ' '