It appears Max Scherzer’s time with the Toronto Blue Jays will be short-lived.
The Blue Jays signed Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5 million deal with Toronto this offseason to solidify the rotation. He took a chance on the Blue Jays as he felt like Toronto had a good chance to win.
Yet, despite the Blue Jays being atop the AL East, insider Keegan Matheson expects this to be the only year Scherzer plays in Toronto.
“Give me 30 percent. Give me a one-third-ish odds, because at this point in Max Scherzer’s career, I would ask you guys, what’s changed since last year?,” Matheson said on OverDrive when asked what the chances are that Scherzer will be a Blue Jay next season. Last year, he was kind of taking a chance on the Blue Jays in the winter.”
Scherzer is a future Hall of Famer and is 41 years old. So, it’s uncertain he will even pitch next season. But, if he does pitch in 2026, Matheson doesn’t think it will be with the Blue Jays, despite his success this season.
Along with Scherzer, the Blue Jays also have Chris Bassitt as a pending free agent, so the rotation will be a major need for Toronto this offseason.
Scherzer is 5-2 with a 3.82 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Scherzer Hitting His Stride for Blue Jays
Toronto signed Scherzer to be the team’s fifth starter and add some veteran presence to the roster this offseason.
However, Scherzer dealt with a thumb injury, which kept him sidelined for multiple weeks. Yet, as of late, he has been healthy and has been stellar, and he credits that to his changeup.
“I’ve been searching for my kind of changeup whole time,” Scherzer said. “And, over the past couple of days, I think I found a little different grip and I felt like that really unlocked it and was able to really execute with it. And so, when I can pitch with all the pitches and then the changeup really starts coming into play, it allows me to really sequence and really keep mixing everything up. Going forward, that’s going to be a huge pitch for me as I navigate other lineups.”
Scherzer’s 4-2 with a 3.35 ERA in his last 7 starts as he’s allowed 1 run in 2 of his last 3 starts.
Scherzer Signed With The Blue Jays to Win
As Scherzer was weighing his options this offseason, he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Blue Jays, which was a surprise.
However, after he signed, Scherzer said he picked Toronto because he wanted to win and felt like they had the team to do so.
“I’m not just playing to play. I’m playing to win,” Scherzer said. “I really feel like Toronto offered that… I love to win. Winning cures everything. All you need to do to wake up in the morning is have that drive to win. Then the rest takes care of itself. I still feel like I can pitch at a high level, compete at a high level and be part of a championship-caliber team. That’s so much fun.”
Entering the year, the Blue Jays weren’t expected to make the playoffs, but are now atop the AL East.
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