Report: Max Scherzer's Blue Jays Contract Bonuses Revealed for Cy Young, WS MVP, More

Max Scherzer can earn up to $325,000 in incentives from his one-year, $15.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Heyman provided a list of the individual triggers, the biggest of which hinges on Scherzer winning a fourth Cy Young award:

There's a pretty good chance the right-hander fails to hit any of those bonuses.

Toronto is projected by PECOTA to finish third in the American League East and tally 85 wins. Having added Scherzer, outfielder Anthony Santander and second baseman Andrés Giménez, the Blue Jays should be a little better but don't look like a serious championship contender.

Scherzer, meanwhile, hasn't made an All-Star team or received Cy Young votes since 2021.

The 40-year-old finally started to show his age in 2023, going 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA but a 4.32 FIP in 27 starts before going down with a muscle strain. In 2024, he was limited to nine appearances thanks to a variety of injuries.

Taking a one-year flier on Scherzer made sense for the Blue Jays. They had plenty of cash to burn after striking out in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, and the 2023 version of him was still good enough to be a mid-rotation starter.

And a total outlay of less than $16 million will be a massive bargain should Scherzer have one more elite season left in the tank.