Toronto Blue Jays Sign Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, Per Jon Heyman

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Toronto Blue Jays have come to terms with Max Scherzer on a one-year deal. Coming off an injury-riddled season, Scherzer will look to bounce back in 2025.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a one-year contract with future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Heyman reports that the deal is for $15.5 million.

Scherzer has been connected to the Blue Jays for weeks, and now he'll pair in the rotation with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt. It's likely that the fifth spot will go to Bowden Francis with Yariel Rodriguez heading to the bullpen, though that hasn't been confirmed yet.

If Rodriguez goes to the bullpen, he'll strengthen that unit, which was one of the worst in baseball last year. The Blue Jays have also brought in relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia this offseason. Offensively, they've added Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez.

The 40-year-old Scherzer is a 17-year veteran of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019 and was part of the Rangers team that captured the title in 2023.

Lifetime, he's 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA. He battled injury in 2024, making just nine starts, so the Blue Jays will hope he's healthy in 2025.

Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star and a three-time Cy Young winner. He's struck out 3,407 batters in his career, which is second among current pitchers (Justin Verlander).

Scherzer and the Blue Jays will report to Dunedin, Fla. for their first workouts on Feb. 12.

Opening Day is set for March 27.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.