For the most part, saws plates are raw steel, relying on the user to keep dry and oiled. There have been saws made with a Teflon coating, but that is impractical for most to do at home.
Nickel plating is good, but again, not practical for most to do at home. Looking at one of my Biship adjustable saws, I see where it was coated with gun blue with the E.C. Simmons name.

What I noticed while cleaning rust off, was that the rust was primarily on the areas where the bluing was worn away. Along the tooth line and the back.
Here are some pictures of the plate and back (front and back) after scraping off the rust.

Bishop EC Simmond Before.jpgBishop EC Simmonds Front.jpgBishop EC Simmonds Back.jpg

Considering all options about refinishing, including nothing but oil.