{"id":13500,"date":"2025-01-30T14:43:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=13500"},"modified":"2025-01-30T14:43:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T22:43:19","slug":"max-scherzer-blue-jays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2025\/01\/30\/max-scherzer-blue-jays\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays, Max Scherzer Agree to One-Year Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Blue Jays<\/a> added to their starting rotation on Thursday, as they have reportedly agreed to terms with veteran right-hander Max Scherzer<\/a><\/strong>. The new contract is for one year and is worth $15.5 million guaranteed, per Jon Heyman<\/a>. The deal for the Boras Corporation client is pending a physical. This move signifies the largest offseason move for the Blue Jays, who have stayed relatively silent over the winter months.<\/p>\n

What Scherzer Brings to Toronto<\/h4>\n

Max Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star who has pitched two no-hitters. He has two World Series titles on his resume with the Washington Nationals<\/a> in 2019 and the Texas Rangers<\/a> in 2023. The question for the Blue Jays is how well Scherzer can revert to his peak form after an injury-plagued 2024.<\/p>\n

The 40-year-old is coming off a season in which he had a 2\u20134 record with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for the Rangers. He began the season on the injured list while rehabbing from back surgery, returned in June, then returned to the injured list in August with right shoulder fatigue. He ended the season on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.<\/p>\n

Decline in Velocity<\/h4>\n

Max Scherzer’s 92.5 mph average fastball velocity was down three ticks from its peak. The pitch still averaged 95 mph as recently as 2020. But the veteran has a wide array of pitches in his arsenal. His slider, changeup, and cutter were all above-average offerings in a limited sample last season.<\/p>\n

Even without Scherzer in the fold, the Blue Jays already had one of the most experienced starting rotations in baseball. The rest of the starting five consists of Kevin Gausman<\/a><\/strong>, Jose Berrios<\/a><\/strong>, and Chris Bassitt<\/a><\/strong>. Right-hander Bowden Francis<\/a><\/strong> impressed in the second half of last season and is all but assured of a place in the rotation to start 2025.<\/p>\n

Scherzer is a nice signing for the Blue Jays, who found themselves falling short of signing some big names over the offseason .In November, they failed in their quest to sign free-agent outfielder Juan Soto<\/a><\/strong>, who got a record-setting $765 million deal\u00a0with the New York Mets<\/a>. In December, the Jays were runners-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> for outfielder\u00a0Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>