The Blue Jays didn’t sit quietly this past offseason. They opened their checkbook, went bold, and signed a pair of proven veterans to bolster their roster. But two months into 2025, Max Scherzer and Anthony Santander have become the faces of buyer’s remorse.
Bleacher Report recently ranked the top contract busts of the 2025 MLB season so far, and the Blue Jays didn’t just make the list—they claimed two spots.
Scherzer: A $15.5M Hope Turned Hiccup
The Jays thought they were buying a late-career encore from one of the most durable pitchers of the last two decades. Instead, they got 3.0 innings, one strikeout, and a 60-day IL stint.
Toronto paid $15.5 million for Max Scherzer to make his post-surgery comeback in blue. He threw 45 pitches in his debut before thumb inflammation shut him down. That’s it. The most he’s contributed to the 2025 team has been the bullpen sessions he’s been tossing behind closed doors.
Yes, Scherzer turns 41 in July. Yes, he made just nine starts last year. And yes, he’s a future Hall of Famer with three Cy Youngs and 3,000 strikeouts. But this move reeked of desperation, and so far, it’s delivered exactly what the skeptics feared: a ghost of a pitcher, not a presence.
This contract is already cooked unless Scherzer returns in June and looks like even 80% of his old self. Toronto could have used that $15 million to build actual rotation depth. Instead, they gambled on a legend’s name instead of his current health.
Santander: Not-So-Slugger With a $92.5M Bat
Then there’s Anthony Santander.
Over the past three years, only five players have hit more home runs than Santander. That stat helped him land a five-year, $92.5 million deal in Toronto, a club desperate for power from the corner outfield spots. But Santander has been a black hole in the lineup for two months.
He’s hitting .188/.270/.327 with just six home runs, 18 RBIs, and a -0.6 bWAR. In other words, he’s been worth less than a replacement-level player.
Some warned the Blue Jays about this. Santander was always a one-tool player. His on-base skills were mediocre, his defense subpar, and his speed nonexistent. He had raw power and the ability to stay on the field.
Now, he’s still healthy—and still hurting the lineup.
Yes, he’s historically a slow starter. But we’re almost into June, and he’s not heating up. If anything, he’s trending worse. Multiple strikeout games are piling up, and the power isn’t there. Rogers Centre was supposed to be a hitter-friendly haven for him. Instead, it’s highlighting his weaknesses.
The Fallout: Toronto’s Window Is Cracking
Toronto entered 2025, hoping to make one final push with its current core. They went on short-term upgrades to stabilize the rotation and lengthen the lineup.
Instead, they’ve sunk nearly $110 million into a starting pitcher who hasn’t started and a slugger who isn’t slugging.
The Blue Jays are still in the AL Wild Card mix, but their margin for error is vanishing fast. And with both Scherzer and Santander locked in for now, there’s no easy fix.
Toronto bet big. And unless something changes soon, those bets might sink their season.
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