Max Scherzer, one of the best pitchers of his generation, has agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays by signing a one-year, $15.5 million contract.
Scherzer, a future Hall of Famer, saved the Blue Jays from a disastrous offseason in which they had failed to sign any high-profile free agents, ESPN reported.
The 40-year-old right-hander joins Toronto after an injury-plagued season with the Texas Rangers, in which he made just nine starts and went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA.
Scherzer didn’t make his first start until June 23 after offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, then missed all of August with shoulder fatigue and returned to make one start in September before a hamstring injury ended his season.
However, Toronto will slot Scherzer into its starting rotation after a physical, and add to what was already a strength, with veterans Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt, as well as Bowden Francis, who was one of the best pitchers in baseball down the stretch in 2024.
Max Scherzer saves Blue Jays’ offseason
The Blue Jays aimed to sign several nine-figure players this winter, chasing outfielder Juan Soto and starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. Each opted to sign elsewhere, as did Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese star who signed with the Dodgers.
Toronto reached an agreement on a five-year, $92.5 million deal with outfielder Anthony Santander to bolster its outfield, and with Scherzer adds a veteran whose postseason experience should help if Toronto can navigate the great challenge that is the American League East alongside the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
Scherzer, who made more than 30 starts each season from 2009 to 2018, has now missed significant time in each of the last three seasons, making 23 starts in 2022 while missing time with an oblique strain, and making 27 starts in 2023 due to a shoulder strain and back spasms.
While Scherzer’s fastball took a step back last year, he handles a five-pitch arsenal and will rely on the control that has been a hallmark throughout his 17-year career.
His strikeout rate last year fell to 22.6% after being at 28%, and was well below his 2021-22 seasons, when it was over 30%. He allowed an OPS of .724, higher than the MLB average of .711.
Scherzer’s achievements in Major League Baseball
Scherzer was a free agent for the third time in his career. Before the 2015 season, he agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals that turned out to be one of the best signings ever for a free agent pitcher.
Scherzer won the second and third Cy Young Awards of his career with Washington, finished in the top three in three other seasons and helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019 with a 3-0 record and 2.40 ERA that postseason and starting Game 7 of the World Series.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 in the final year of that contract, and then signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the New York Mets, the highest average annual value for a player at the time, and then matched by Justin Verlander, and surpassed by Shohei Ohtani in 2024.
The Mets made the playoffs that first year when Scherzer posted a 2.23 ERA, but he was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2023, and helped them win the World Series title, although injuries limited him to just 9.2 innings in three postseason starts, and he pitched scoreless during his only appearance in that Fall Classic.
The eight-time All-Star has a career record of 216-112 with three Cy Young Awards and 75.4 WAR.
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