Max Scherzer’s Hall of Fame career is set to continue in Toronto.
The Blue Jays and Scherzer agreed to a one-year contract on Thursday, the NY Post’s Jon Heyman first reported. According to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the deal is pending a physical.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the contract is for one year and worth $15.5 million.
Scherzer was limited to just 43.1 innings in 2024 with the Texas Rangers due to various injuries, but in the time that he was on the mound he delivered a 3.95 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 43.1 innings.
He ended the year on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, which forced him to miss a start on Sept. 22.
“Look, this season’s been obviously frustrating for me,” Scherzer said at the time. “Probably the most frustrating season of my career. But the only good news is now I can go into the off-season healthy. My back’s good, my arm’s good. The real serious things that you need to think about and talk about are actually in a good spot. I still believe I can put you at a high level. There’s nothing stopping me from doing that. Just right now, my body is not fully cooperating.”
The 40-year-old right-hander was traded to the Rangers in 2023 and helped them win the World Series — the second title of his career.
Over 17 big league seasons, Scherzer has been named an All-Star eight times and won three Cy Young Awards while compiling 216 wins, 2,878.0 innings and 3,407 strikeouts. He has pitched with the Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
Scherzer currently ranks 11th on MLB’s all-time strikeout list, sitting nine punchouts behind Justin Verlander and 108 behind Walter Johnson.
In addition to his regular season accolades, Scherzer has quite the playoff résumé. In 10 trips to the post-season, he has thrown 143 innings and struck out 171 hitters. He has reached the World Series three times — in 2012, 2019 and 2023 — and owns a career 3.26 ERA in the Fall Classic.
The move comes on the heels of the Blue Jays signing outfielder Anthony Santander to a $92.5 million, five-year contract on Jan. 21.
