Max Scherzer shows off his arm for the Nationals in spring training. Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

With major league teams going through trading frenzies this off-season, Baseball Musings takes a look at the players added by each team this off-season, finishing with the Washington Nationals. The Nationals brought in the following players from other organizations:

• Daniel Butler, c
• Yunel Escobar, ss
• Casey Janssen, p
• Max Scherzer, p

When the Braves built their dynasty in the 1990s, they did so by addressing weaknesses. If you look at the roster moves they made every year, it was replacing the weak link on the team with someone better, often not only better by a great player. It’s a great way to keep an established team winning. Even when Atlanta made a similar move, bringing in Greg Maddux as a free agent, they used him to replace an older Charlie Leibrandt. After four good seasons with the Braves, Leibrandt would pitch poorly in 1993 and leave the game.

Washington, in signing Scherzer, is making a strength stronger. When Gio Gonzalez owns the worst ERA in your rotation, and the other four all walk less than two batters per nine innings, your team may not need the best pitcher in baseball. The signing does give them injury and trade flexibility. Down the road there may be a team playing poorly with a good shortstop that is willing to trade that player for an excellent starting pitcher. Or maybe things are going well for Washington, and they use one of those pitchers to re-stock their farm system.

I can’t criticize signing one of the best players available in the free agent market. It does create a good problem, one that I suspect will solve itself near the trade deadline.