The Toronto Blue Jays have signed future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to a one-year, $15 million contract, per Jon Heyman at the New York Post.
Scherzer deal: $15.5M https://t.co/N3yHIdAcbB
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 30, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Scherzer turned 40 last July and spent 2024 with the Texas Rangers. He posted a respectable 3.95 ERA, but a perfect storm of injuries kept him out until July. Scherzer made just nine starts and tossed 43.1 innings. He has also pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets in 17 professional seasons.
In Toronto, Scherzer likely slots in the middle or at the back end of the rotation. He isn’t the franchise arm the team needs, but he’ll at least bring leadership to a young team on the cusp of a rebuild.
As for Max Scherzer, this deal is no different than what his fellow future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander received from the Giants. Moreover, both men have reached the compiler stages of their careers. They could retire in a joint press conference and both enter Cooperstown on the first-ballot.
Scherzer currently owns a career record of 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA. His 3,407 strikeouts rank 11th in baseball history, right behind Verlander’s 3,416. He’s won two World Series rings and three Cy Young Awards, and pitched two no-hitters in 2015.
This also caps a busy offseason for the Blue Jays. Toronto signed switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander to a five-year deal earlier this month. They acquired infielder Andres Gimenez from Cleveland in December and later boosted their bullpen with Jeff Hoffman.
Now, does Max Scherzer improve the Blue Jays to the point where they’ll be in the playoff picture? Probably not. He’d need to overachieve to the point of being near-unstoppable, not unlike Verlander in 2022.
He does, however, serve as proof that the Blue Jays are serious about spending money. Contender or pretender, they’re signing players who put butts in seats. That’s not a bad approach with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s free agency looming.
Plus, the small market Blue Jays get to watch a future Hall of Famer reach a big milestone, his 3,500th strikeout, in their uniform.
Hall of Fame aces spending one year with a random team at the end is a tale as old as time. Randy Johnson went home to the Bay Area on a one-year deal and notched his 4,000th strikeout pitching for the Giants. Tom Seaver split his final season between the White Sox and Red Sox, fanning his 3,600th hitter along the way. Even Steve Carlton spent his last three season scattered across three different teams.
It’s now Max Scherzer’s turn.
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