The Toronto Blue Jays boosted their starting rotation Thursday by agreeing to terms with future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer, according to a new report.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post broke the news of the agreement via Twitter/X.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Scherzer gets a one-year contract. Heyman and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Scherzer will get $15.5 million.
Robert Murray of FanSided recently reported that Scherzer topped the list of the Blue Jays' offseason shopping list.
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Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star who has pitched two no-hitters and won World Series titles with the Washington Nationals in 2019 and the Rangers in 2023. The question for the Blue Jays is how well Scherzer can revert to his peak form after an injury-plagued 2024.
The 40-year-old right-hander is coming off a season in which he went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for the Texas Rangers. He began the season on the injured list while rehabbing from back surgery, returned in June, then returned to the injured list in August with right shoulder fatigue. He ended the season on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Scherzer's 92.5 mph average fastball velocity was down three ticks from its peak; the pitch still averaged 95 mph as recently as 2020. But the veteran has a wide array of pitches in his arsenal; his slider, changeup, and cutter were all above-average offerings in a limited sample last year.
The Blue Jays already had one of the most experienced starting rotations in baseball, led by Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt. Right-hander Bowden Francis impressed in the second half of last season and is all but assured of a place in the rotation to start 2025.
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Now, Scherzer will join a team whose offseason was, until recently, hallmarked more by failure than success. Toronto is looking to rebound from a 74-88 season in which it finished fifth in the American League East.
In November, the Jays fell short in their quest to sign free agent outfielder Juan Soto, who got a record-setting $765 million deal with the New York Mets. In December, the Jays were runners-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
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In January, the Jays again fell short of the Dodgers' offer to a free agent, this time for pitcher Roki Sasaki. More recently, they were reported to have "fumbled" negotiations with free agent first baseman Pete Alonso.
Now, the Jays will add Scherzer to their rotation after bolstering their lineup with switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander. Nightengale reported Thursday that the Jays "still have interest" in signing Alonso if he does not re-sign with the New York Mets.
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Justin Verlander, Scherzer's rotation mate with the New York Mets, signed a comparable one-year, $15 million contract from the San Francisco Giants earlier this month.
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