Will Zimmermann stay after Scherzer signing and will Nats rotation be among best ever?

Now that the Nationals have constructed the best rotation in baseball by adding Max Scherzer, the next set of questions surround Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann, 28, is eligible for free agency after the season. He and the Nationals have been negotiating, but there's no deal. Zimmermann is willing to stay in D.C., but wants fair market value. So, what is fair? Jon Lester signed for six years and $155 million with the Chicago Cubs. Zimmermann, who has won 57 games with a 3.24 ERA and a no-hitter for the Nationals, is a better pitcher than Lester. So is Zimmermann worth that kind of contract now, even though has has one year before free agency? * Does Scherzer's contract, even if it is back-loaded so that the payroll doesn't skyrocket for the next couple of years, have an effect on what the Nationals will pay Zimmermann on a long-term contract? * Would the Nationals trade Zimmermann if a team offered the right package of prospects? * If Zimmermann doesn't sign and becomes a free agent, can the Nationals sign Zimmermann and have two pitchers making that kind of money? * Are the Nationals thinking that with so many free agents after next season, this is a make-or-break year, and they'll be content to let Zimmermann go after the season? * And if that happens, what kind of message would it send throughout the organization if Scherzer stays and Zimmermann, an All-Star and fan favorite, can't be fit into the budget? One thing is obvious: The Nationals have the best rotation in baseball, given its strikeout potential, durability and depth. All five starters could land National League Cy Young votes next season. Each could throw at least 200 innings. Scherzer and Strasburg could compete for the NL strikeout title. All could be All-Star candidates. Each has a chance to win the NL ERA title. Tanner Roark, a 15-game winner as a rookie last season, goes to the bullpen. Whose rotation is close to the Nationals'? The Los Angeles Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu, but after that, they're banking on Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson in the final two spots. St. Louis has Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn, but there are still thinking about trading for Cole Hamels, so their rotation doesn't match up. And the No. 3 starter, Michael Wacha, is coming back from injury, and their No. 4, John Lackey, is beyond his prime. Detroit will try to replace Scherzer by signing James Shields. The Tigers have one of the top rotations, but with Justin Verlander's fastball losing velocity, Detroit isn't there either. Seattle is building a nice rotation. Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are solid at the top. J.A. Happ is No. 3 and two dynamite prospects, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker, are unproven. Tampa Bay has Matt Moore coming back from Tommy John, but there's also Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly, who like Scherzer, is a former Tiger. Of course, having the best rotation in the game doesn't guarantee a World Series victory. Check out the 2011 Phillies, who had Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee. The Phillies won 102 games that season, but were bounced in the NL Division Series by the Cardinals. But think about the great rotations in baseball and you think about the 1950s Cleveland Indians or the Dodgers and Orioles in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, it was the New York Mets. In the 1990s, the Braves were winning 14 division championships, but only one World Series, in 1995, with the strongest rotation in baseball. Does the Nationals rotation compare to some of the greats in baseball? Here are a few to consider and how they did in October: * 1954 Cleveland: Early Wynn (23-11, 2.73 ERA), Bob Lemon (23-7, 2.72) and Mike Garcia (19-8, 2.64) finished in the top five in the American League in ERA. The Indians won 111 games and the rotation's ERA was 2.86. Still, the New York Giants swept them in the World Series. * 1966 Dodgers: The rotation, with Sandy Koufax (27-9, 1.73), led the NL with a 2.68 ERA. There was also Don Drysdale, Claude Osteen and Don Sutton. Everyone but Osteen made the Hall of Fame. But in the '66 World Series, the Orioles swept the Dodgers with three shutouts, led by starters Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker and Dave McNally. * 1971 Orioles: Baltimore had four 20-game winners in Palmer, McNally, Pat Dobson and Mike Cuellar. McNally's 21 wins led the league. Palmer and McNally each had a 2.68 ERA while Dobson was at 2.90 and Cuellar at 3.08. The '71 Orioles and the 1920 Chicago White Sox are the only teams in history to have four 20-game winners in the same season. The Pirates, though, beat the Orioles in a seven-game World Series. * 1986 New York Mets: The staff was led by Ron Darling (15-6, 2.81 ERA) and Dwight Gooden (17-6, 2.84). Darling, Gooden, Sid Fernandez and Bob Ojeda each pitched at least 200 innings while Fernandez, Gooden and Darling were among the top 10 NL strikeout leaders. The Mets beat Boston in a seven-game World Series. * 1993 Atlanta Braves: The first four in the rotation were Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Steve Avery and John Smoltz and the Braves led the NL with a 3.14 ERA. Maddux led the NL with a 2.36 ERA. Glavine's 22 wins tied for the league lead in wins. Smoltz was second and Maddux third in the NL strikeout race. But that season, the Braves didn't even make the World Series. They won 104 games and lost to Philadelphia in the NL Championship Series. * 1998 Braves: Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz were joined in a rotation that also had Denny Neagle and Kevin Millwood. The rotation combined for an ERA of 2.97. Glavine, with 22 wins and a 2.47 ERA, won the NL Cy Young Award. Maddux was third and Smoltz sixth. But the Braves lost to San Diego in the NLCS.