Blue Jays Sign Max Scherze Blue Jays Sign Max Scherze

The Blue Jays officially announced their one-year deal with . The Boras Corporation client reportedly receives a $15.5MM salary with no deferrals and a full no-trade clause. Scherzer is obviously a legend in the game and a future Hall of Famer. He debuted back in 2008, has almost 3,000 innings in the majors with a 3.16 earned run average, three Cy Young trophies, eight All-Star selections and two World Series rings. The question is what he has left in the tank at this point. He is now 40 years old and coming off an injury-marred season. He started 2024 on the injured list while recovering from offseason back surgery. Though he recovered from that, he also battled a nerve i sue in his hand, shoulder fatigue and a strained hamstring throughout the season. He was limited to just nine starts and 43 1/3 innings. That obviously creates some concern but Scherzer has been remarkably durable throughout his career. In each full season from 2009 to 2023, he made 27 or more starts and logged at least 145 1/3 innings. From 2013 to 2018, he had six straight seasons of hitting the 200-inning plateau. In short, 2024 was the first season of his career where he mi sed significant time. Even though the volume of his output was low, some of the results last year were still decent. He posted a 3.95 earned run average over those nine starts. His 22.6% strikeout rate was a drop for him personally but still around league average, while his 5.6% walk rate was still a very strong mark. His velocity was down as well on his fastball, going from 93.7 miles per Roy White Jersey hour in 2023 to 92.5 mph last year. There are obviously some yellow flags in there but its of course po sible that better health could lead to some better results. Its a bit of a gamble for the Jays but this is clearly the market rate for a veteran pitcher with some question marks. Each of , and secured one-year deals worth $15MM this offseason. Scherzer symbolically got past that group with an extra half mil. There are many ways in which Verlander and Scherzer are similar, given their lengthy careers full of accolades. The two have also cro sed paths many times, as they were both in the Detroit rotation just over a decade ago, before reuniting with the Mets more recently. Verlanders 2024 was also injury-marred, though with perhaps some more concerning numbers. His 17 starts and 90 1/3 innings were more than Scherzer managed but Verlander had a 5.48 ERA and his strikeout rate dropped all the way to 18.7%. Verlander is also a bit older, about to turn 42 next month. Cobb is only 37 but he only managed three starts last year, plus two more in the playoffs, thanks to his own maladies. He also doesnt quite have the same legendary track record as Scherzer or Verlander. Morton, who is now 41, managed to make 30 starts for Atlanta last year but he seemingly limited his market by having a preference for clubs with spring training sites near his family in Florida. The Jays have been connected to just about every available free agent this winter. That has included some high-profile position players like , and , as well as starting pitchers like , and . There were obviously some frustrating mi ses in there, but the club has had a couple of strikes more recently. In the past three weeks, theyve added to their lineup, to their bullpen and now Scherzer to the rotation. While the Jays may have preferred to get one of those other starting pitchers, Scherzer keeps their commitment short. It also gives the club a very veteran rotation core. is 34, will turn 36 next month and will be 31 in May. Those four are sure to be taking the ball with regularity, as long as theyre all healthy. If Scherzer avoids the injury bug this year, hell upgrade the rotation and could perhaps indirectly upgrade the bullpen as well. Prior to this signing, and were projected as the top options for the fourth and final spots in the rotation. Even with Scherzer in the fold, Francis will likely still get a rotation spot. After the Jays traded at the deadline last year, Francis got a rotation audition and ran with it. He finished out the campaign with 59 innings over nine starts with a 1.53 ERA, 26.5% strikeout rate and 3.3% walk rate. He still has one minor league option but the Jays would surely like to see if he could carry that forward. That could push Rodrguez into a relief role, something he has done with succe s before. Last year was his first in the majors and he made 21 starts with decent results. He had a 4.47 ERA, 23.1% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate. But prior to signing with the Jays, he was a dominant closer in Japan. In 2022, he made 56 appearances for the Chunichi Dragons with a 1.15 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. He sat out 2023 while attempting to be declared a free agent. Going into last year, reported that Rodrguezs contract stipulated he could only be optioned for the 2024 season. The Blue Jays did indeed option him a few times last year but it seems they wont be able to do so from now on, so perhaps hell end up in the bullpen instead. He could compete for a leverage role alongside Hoffman, , and . That would subtract from the rotation depth a bit, but the Jays have a few more options there than they did last year. They added , who already has a bit of Triple-A and MLB experience, in the aforementioned Kikuchi deal. is on the 40-man roster and should be in Triple-A this year after spending most of 2024 in Double-A. had internal brace surgery in June and could make a late-season return. Since Scherzer is one a one-year deal and Ba sitt is going into the final year of his pact, there are long-term openings for that group if any of them have a good showing in 2025. now sets the clubs payroll at $250MM and and their competitive balance tax number at $273MM. That puts them already well beyond last years Opening Day payroll, which put at $225MM. Their CBT number was over the line in 2024 but they ducked under when their disappointing season lead to a deadline selloff, so they will go into 2025 as first-time payors. They are now within striking distance of the third CBT line, which will be $281MM next year. Going over that marker this year would mean their top pick in the 2026 draft would be pushed back 10 spots. Despite running those numbers up to new heights, it doesnt appear they are done. Per , the Jays are still interested in if he doesnt circle back to the Mets while also suggests they should still have some flexibility. Maybe the Jays will add Alonso or someone else, or finally get an extension done with Its been a long, frustrating winter for Jays fans but a lot has changed in the past few weeks, perhaps with more to come. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in about two weeks. first reported that Scherzer was headed to the Jays. first reported that it was a one-year deal. then reported the $15.5MM guarantee. first had the lack of deferrals. had the no-trade clause. Jordan Groshans Jersey