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The Rumor: Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com first mentioned Max Scherzer as a possible trade chip. Joel Sherman of the New York Post is the most recent to do so.

Stuff 24/30

Scherzer's stuff is pure filth now. He throws a four-seamer, slider and changeup that are plus pitches and a curveball that rates as a solid show-me pitch. Scherzer's velocity wasn't as good in 2013 as it was in 2012, however, and it's in danger of taking a further dive as he nears 30. Rather than being in the mid 90s with his pitches, it's a good bet that he'll soon be living in the low 90s. It's a good thing that his fastball should still have good movement and his secondary offerings should still be filthy.

Command 15/20

Scherzer threw more first-pitch strikes than ever in 2013 and ultimately walked away with a respectable 6.7 walk percentage. A big key for him was the best fastball command of his career. PITCHf/x says he put more heaters in the zone than ever before, and he did a great job in particular of hitting the outside corner against righty batters. If he can keep this up, whatever he loses in stuff will be made up in command.

Hittability 11/15

Scherzer is one of the league's most unhittable starters now because of his blistering fastball and Loony Toons secondary pitches. He will become more hittable once his velocity begins to fade, and his tendency to induce fly balls could become a bigger problem. But while he'll be more hittable, he'll still be tougher to hit than the average pitcher.

Workhorse 22/25

Scherzer topped 200 innings for the first time in 2013, where he averaged close to seven innings per start. It's hard to imagine him getting any better than that, but one thing decreased hittability could mean is increased efficiency. That trade-off could could allow him to carry on as a top-notch workhorse.

Health 8/10

Scherzer does have a history of shoulder woes, most recently battling fatigue at the end of the 2012 season. This doesn't bode particularly well for him with his 30s drawing near, nor does the fact that his pitching motion doesn't exactly make it easy on his shoulder. He could be in for some issues.

Overall 80/100

It all came together for Scherzer in 2013, where his command was never better at a time when his stuff was still fantastic. Father Time will impact his stuff before long, but he's become a good enough pitcher to deal with it.

This score puts Scherzer in 5-WAR territory, which comes out to about $25 million a year. He'll be up for at least that much if he actually hits the free-agent waters after 2014.