Eight-Time All-Star Veteran Signs with the Blue Jays
After the Texas Rangers' disappointing 2024 season, in which the 2023 World Series Champions failed to make the postseason with a 78-84 record, eight-time all-star pitcher Max Scherzer entered the offseason as a free agent once again in his illustrious MLB career. Following considerable speculation, it was revealed by Jeff Passan that the Toronto Blue Jays have signed the right-hander to a one-year contract worth $15.5 million. After several injuries sidelined him for much of the last two seasons, the Blue Jays’ hope heading into the 2025 season is that Scherzer can regain full health. If that happens, the two-time World Series Champion could still make a significant contribution to his new club's success in the season ahead.
Throughout his 19 MLB seasons, Scherzer has been a key piece in many teams' starting rotations. Most notably, he established himself as one of baseball's best arms during his five years with the Detroit Tigers and seven years with the Washington Nationals, where he helped lead the franchise to its first World Series Championship in 2019. Throughout his extraordinary career, Scherzer has earned the kind of accolades every major leaguer dreams of. These include three Cy Young Awards, two All-MLB First Team selections, four wins titles, three National League strikeout leader titles, and two no-hitters to top it off.
Last season with the Rangers, Scherzer’s injury woes persisted as he began the 2024 season on the IL after undergoing herniated disc surgery in the offseason, which sidelined him for the first three months. His bad injury luck continued when he returned to the IL in early August with shoulder fatigue. As a result, Scherzer made only nine starts for the Rangers in 2024, finishing with a 2-4 record, a 3.95 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and a 1.15 WHIP. Despite his lengthy injury history, the future Hall of Famer remains optimistic that 2025 and beyond will bring him and the Blue Jays better fortunes as they pursue the World Series trophy this coming season.
