Max Scherzer Signs One-Year, $15.5 Million Deal with Toronto Blue Jays: Fantasy Baseball Takeaways

Former Texas Rangers P Max Scherzer
Former Texas Rangers P Max Scherzer / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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When trying to compete for a World Series title against the cash printing Dodgers, the rest of baseball has to look behind every door for possible help to complete for a championship title. The Blue Jays signed Max Scherzer to a one-year deal for $15.5 million, hoping to capture a line from a hit country song by Toby Keith – As Good as I Once Was.

Scherzer still checks the command bucket based on his walk rate (2.1) over short innings (43.1) in 2024, but home runs (seven) and a lower strikeout rate (8.3 – 10.7 in his career) invite more down days. Last year, he missed time with back, thumb, arm fatigue, shoulder, and hamstring issues. Everything about last season suggested the end was near and age had finally caught up to him. His fastball (92.6 mph) was the lowest of his career and he was more of a hinderance than an asset to fantasy baseball rosters.

The Blue Jay invited Scherzer to one last dance, and the line they need playing in the background is "I ain’t good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was…every five days." The veteran is an intriguing bounce-back candidate heading into the 2025 fantasy baseball season.

With a little more life on his fastball and a bounce in his health, Scherzer has the secondary pitches to get batters out. He is absolutely worthy of a roster spot in 2025 fantasy baseball leagues.  Fantasy owners will be hoping for a Chris Sale-like campaign from the veteran in Toronto. Scherzer's resume suggests that he still has upside, particuarly at his current ADP of 382 in the National Fantasy Baseball Championships.

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Shawn Childs
SHAWN CHILDS

With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.