The Blue Jays continue to add notable names to their team this offseason.
Toronto and veteran free agent starting pitcher Max Scherzer agreed to a contract Thursday, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported. The Blue Jays appeared to confirm some news was coming with a vague post on social media — perhaps a reference to Scherzer’s famous heterochromia, a condition which gives him two different colored eyes.
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— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 30, 2025
The three-time Cy Young winner will join a rotation that includes Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt as the Blue Jays try to make it back to the postseason. In 2024, the Blue Jays pitched to a 4.29 ERA, which was among the bottom 10 teams in all of baseball, but Gausman, Berrios and Bassitt all pitched to lower ERAs than that number.
Last year, Scherzer pitched in just nine games for the Texas Rangers as he battled injuries, but still produced a 3.95 ERA in that span. The righty pitcher has not had a season with an ERA above since 2011, when he pitched for the Detroit Tigers.
Here’s the latest details on the Blue Jays’ latest move.
Max Scherzer contract details
Scherzer is signing a one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Blue Jays, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Thursday. The pitcher joins Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman and Andres Gimenez as key offseason additions in Toronto.
Scherzer’s contract is similar to the ones that Justin Verlander signed with the Giants and Charlie Morton signed with the Orioles. Both Verlander and Morton signed one-year, $15 million deals with their new teams for 2024.
The benefit of this deal for both sides is that Scherzer will not be tasked to lead the rotation, as the Blue Jays already have high-priced veterans in those roles. Scherzer will be the eighth player on the Blue Jays making at least $15 million in 2025, which now includes four members of their rotation.
How old is Max Scherzer?
The veteran also enters the season as the third-oldest player in the league, only behind Verlander and Morton, as he is set to turn 41 years-old on July 27.
