Report: Blue Jays, Scherzer agree to 1-year, $15.5M deal

Mad Max is flying north.

The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a one-year, $15.5-million contract with veteran right-hander Max Scherzer, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Completion of the deal is pending a physical, a source told Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. It won't include any deferred money, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.

The future Hall of Famer is coming off a difficult 2024 season with the Texas Rangers. Offseason back surgery, as well as shoulder fatigue and a hamstring issue, limited him to a career-low 43 1/3 innings. However, he still tallied 40 strikeouts along with an 8.3 K/9 rate, while allowing only seven home runs.

In his most recent full season of 2023, Scherzer put up a 3.77 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 174 strikeouts across 27 starts with the Rangers and New York Mets. He helped pitch Texas to the 2023 World Series title following a midseason trade.

Even if he's not the same pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards during his prime, a healthy Scherzer will instantly add some much-needed firepower to Toronto's rotation. He also lengthens the staff overall and allows the team to move Yariel Rodríguez, who was inconsistent as a rookie starter last year, to the bullpen.

Blue Jays' projected 2025 rotation

Scherzer is one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. The 40-year-old has won three Cy Young awards, three strikeout titles, two no-hitters, and two World Series championships while throwing at least 150 innings in all but three of his 17 big-league seasons. His 3,407 strikeouts rank 11th all time and second among active pitchers.

Scherzer is Toronto's fourth pitcher added this offseason and first starter. The Blue Jays inked relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi García to multi-year deals and acquired Nick Sandlin from Cleveland.

The Blue Jays fell to 74-88 in 2024 after reaching the playoffs three times in four seasons to start the decade. They haven't won a playoff game since 2016.