MLB News: Max Scherzer, Blue Jays Reportedly Agree to $15.5M Contract in Free Agency

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer will look to rebound in 2025 after reportedly agreeing to a new one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The 40-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career.

He didn't make his 2024 debut until mid-June thanks to offseason surgery on a herniated disc and then a nerve problem in his right arm. Then he was sidelined in August due to right shoulder fatigue.

Scherzer wound up logging just 43.1 innings, going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA and a 4.18 FIP.

The right-hander has nothing to prove at this point. An eight-time All-Star and a two-time World Series champion, he's in all likelihood headed for the Hall of Fame and could go in on the first ballot.

But Scherzer made it clear to the Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant in August he wanted to keep going for another year.

"When I'm out there, I've been able to compete," he said. "I can still pitch at a high level. I look at things like my slider, which I went into the season wanting to fix, and it's been really good. I still see myself as able to compete and win."

If anything, having such a disappointing campaign might've motivated him to stick around and end his time on the mound on a relative high point rather than walk away now.

As you'd expect, the advanced numbers from 2024 aren't kind to Scherzer.

According to Baseball Savant, his .248 expected batting average and .408 expected slugging percentage were both his second-highest dating back to 2015. He also had his lowest strikeout rate (22.6 percent) and had a whiff rate (29.2 percent) below his career average. His four-seam fastball averaged just 92.5 mph as well.

Those numbers require plenty of caveats thanks to Scherzer having his offseason preparations disrupted and putting together such a small sample before another arm issue arose.

Injuries haven't been a common theme across his MLB run, either. Excluding the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, he threw at least 140 innings every year between 2009 and 2023.

There was little doubt about Scherzer's ability to land on his feet with the Rangers or another team this winter. He has earned the benefit of the doubt to prove he remains an effective starting pitcher.

The Blue Jays being the one to give him a chance is a little surprising, though, when they aren't shaping up to be a major contender in the American League East. They lost 88 games in 2024 and haven't made any significant upgrades after trying and failing to sign Juan Soto, Rōki Sasaki and Corbin Burnes.

But this might be the last season Toronto has a playoff window of any kind with stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette becoming free agents next winter. In that sense, signing Scherzer is a gambit that aligns with the franchise's priorities now and carries no long-term commitments.