Max Scherzer eyeing healthy offseason after year ends on IL - ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas — Max Scherzer is going home and into free agency after what the three-time Cy Young Award winner considers the most frustrating of his 17 seasons in the big leagues.

At age 40 and finishing a year with the Texas Rangers in which he made his fewest starts since being a rookie, Scherzer said Sunday that he looks forward to having a normal offseason and expects to pitch again next season.

«I still believe I can pitch at a high level here. There's nothing stopping me from doing that. Just right now my body's not fully cooperating,» Scherzer said before the Rangers played their final home game. «But if I can properly address everything that's been going on and learn from what is going on with my body right now, I can be better next year for it with a full offseason.»

The right-hander was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday because of a strained left hamstring and put on the 15-day injured list, which ended his season with the reigning World Series champions already out of playoff contention. He was 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts, his fewest since seven as a rookie with Arizona in 2008.

His debut this season didn't come until June 23, which was his first start for the Rangers since Game 3 of the World Series at Arizona that he exited after three scoreless innings because of back tightness. He had surgery in mid-December to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, then during his rehab dealt with a nerve issue that was diagnosed after he experienced right thumb soreness.

«The only good news is now I can go in the offseason healthy. You know, 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,» he said. «I really feel like