The Blue Jays are interested in Max Scherzer

There hasn’t been much public buzz about Max Scherzer this winter, aside from a report earlier this month that four undisclosed clubs expressed interest in the future Hall-of-Famer’s services. The Blue Jays may or may not have been one of those four mystery teams, but Toronto is showing interest in Scherzer now, according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

The Jays have been linked to dozens of free agents this winter, continuing the unofficial “check in on everyone” strategy that general manager Ross Atkins has largely employed over the past five years since the team’s rebuilding phase ended when Hyun- Jin Ryu signed. a four-year, $80MM contract. It’s no surprise, then, that the Blue Jays have Scherzer on their radar as well, both because Toronto is looking for rotation help and because Scherzer has some intriguing buy-low potential given his lengthy resume.

2024 was perhaps the least notable of Scherzer’s 17 MLB seasons, as he pitched a career-low 43 1/3 innings. Scherzer underwent back surgery last season and was expected to miss at least some time at the start of the 2024 campaign while he recovered, but subsequent issues with nerve irritation in his triceps, shoulder fatigue and a hamstring strain resulted in what was pretty close to a lost season for both Scherzer and the Rangers as a whole.

At least the nerve issue appears to have been fixed by a mechanical change Scherzer relayed to reporters last September, and Scherzer is now over a year removed from his back procedure. While the right-hander has generally been pretty durable over the course of his long career, it also wouldn’t be a surprise if the long grind of 2,878 big league innings has finally caught up with Scherzer now that he’s passed his 40th birthday.

Despite injuries, Scherzer was still able to post a respectable 3.95 ERA last season. His walk and chase rates were both excellent in his small sample size of 43 1/3 snaps, though that big chase rate showed in just a modest 22.6% strikeout rate. Scherzer also had a 3.77 ERA over 152 2/3 innings with the Mets and Rangers in 2023, which might be a better reflection of what could reasonably be expected from a healthy Scherzer at this late point in his career — a solid starter in the middle of the rotation who can still call up some of his old magic once in a while.

Scherzer and his former teammate Justin Verlander have been linked often this winter as veteran superstars come off injury-plagued seasons, and Verlander (heading into his 42-year-old campaign) signed a one-year, $15MM guarantee with the Giants two weeks ago. With Verlander now off the board, more teams could be looking at Scherzer, although Toronto is the first club publicly mentioned as a suitor.

While the Blue Jays signed relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia to multiyear deals this winter, the Jays’ last two offseasons have been defined more by the players the team didn’t sign rather than the players who actually put pen to paper. Toronto’s high-profile pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Corbin Burns, Roki Sasakiand several other top-shelf free agents ended up with those players all signing elsewhere, creating the impression that the Jays front office can no longer seal the deal with front-line talent.

It hasn’t helped Atkins’ recruiting efforts that the Blue Jays stumbled to a 74-88 record last season and finished in last place in the AL East. The possible departures of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette to free agency next winter, increasing uncertainty about the Jays’ long-term viability as contenders, or even whether the team still has enough in the tank to mount a rebound in 2025. “As currently constructed, the Blue Jays may be a tougher sell” Scherzer, Nicholson-Smith writes, as while Scherzer’s market may be somewhat limited by his age and recent injuries, he would certainly still prefer to play for a contending team if given the opportunity.