Blue Jays finalize 1-year deal with 3-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and the Toronto Blue Jays finalized a $15.5 million US, one-year contract on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old was limited to nine starts with Texas last year, going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. He opened the season on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery and was on the IL from Aug. 2 to Sept. 13 because of shoulder fatigue. He didn't pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.
Scherzer joins a projected rotation that includes Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt. The Blue Jays also have Bowden Francis coming off an impressive rookie season and Yariel Rodriguez, who signed a $32 million, five-year contract last February.
The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East at 74-88 and haven't won a playoff game since they were eliminated by Cleveland in the 2016 AL Championship Series. They were swept in the wild-card round in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
The addition of Scherzer marks a second notable move for Toronto after it finalized a $92.5 million, five-year contract with outfielder Anthony Santander on Jan. 20.
Scherzer became a free agent after he completed a $130 million, three-year contract. He agreed to the deal with the New York Mets in November 2021, but he was traded to Texas in July 2023.
The right-hander won World Series titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023.
He won his first Cy Young Award when he went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts for Detroit in 2013. The eight-time All-Star earned consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with Washington in 2016 and 2017.
Scherzer is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in 466 games over 17 seasons, including 457 starts. He has 3,407 strikeouts in 2,878 innings.
He ranks second among active pitchers in strikeouts, wins and