Max Scherzer is set to join the Toronto Blue Jays, having reached a one-year agreement valued at $15.5 million, as confirmed by a source familiar with the situation.
This source requested anonymity since the official announcement is still pending and contingent upon Scherzer passing a physical examination.
The 40-year-old pitcher had a challenging season with the Texas Rangers last year, where he made only nine starts and recorded a 2-4 win-loss record complemented by a 3.95 earned run average (ERA).
Scherzer began the previous season on the injured list while recovering from surgery on his lower back and was later sidelined from August 2 until September 13 due to shoulder fatigue.
Additionally, he was unable to finish the season because of a hamstring strain on his left leg.
Upon joining the Blue Jays, Scherzer will bolster a rotation that includes key players such as Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt.
The team also boasts promising talent in Bowden Francis, who had a standout rookie season, alongside Yariel Rodríguez, who recently signed a five-year contract worth $32 million last February.
In the previous season, the Blue Jays ended at the bottom of the AL East standings with a disappointing record of 74-88.
The team’s playoff struggles have been notable; they haven’t won a postseason game since their elimination by Cleveland in the 2016 AL Championship Series, and they were swept in the wild card round in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Scherzer’s signing comes shortly after the Blue Jays struck a deal for outfielder Anthony Santander, finalizing a five-year contract worth $92.5 million on January 20.
The Blue Jays had previously expressed interest in high-profile players like Shohei Ohtani and were contenders for Juan Soto, who eventually was traded to the New York Mets last December.
Furthermore, they were reportedly strong contenders for Roki Sasaki before the young Japanese pitcher made a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scherzer enters free agency after completing a lucrative three-year contract worth $130 million, which he signed with the New York Mets in November 2021 before being traded to Texas in July 2023.
In his first season with the Rangers, he celebrated his second World Series title, having previously won one with the Washington Nationals in 2019.
Scherzer was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft, emerging from the University of Missouri.
He made his Major League debut with the Diamondbacks in 2008 and clinched his first Cy Young Award in 2013 with a standout 21-3 record and a 2.90 ERA across 32 starts with the Detroit Tigers.
He secured consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with Washington in 2016 and 2017, solidifying his legacy in the league.
Over 17 seasons in the major leagues, Scherzer holds a career record of 216 wins and 112 losses, with an impressive 3.16 ERA across 466 games, including 457 starts.
He has also recorded a staggering 3,407 strikeouts over 2,878 innings pitched, ranking him second among active pitchers in strikeouts, wins, and innings pitched, behind his former teammate Justin Verlander.
