The Boston Red Sox aren’t the only team working to improve their pitching staff this offseason as the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays signed took a notable name off the free agency market on Thursday evening.

Toronto signed eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5 million contract, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, after the club expressed interest for multiple weeks. Scherzer will turn 41 years old by the end of July and joins the Blue Jays following two-year run with the Texas Rangers.

Scherzer, a future Hall of Fame inductee, spent the past two seasons struggling to stay healthy. The right-hander made eight starts with the Rangers in 2023 before suffering a season-ending low-grade strain, and made nine starts in 2024 due to shoulder fatigue. Scherzer wrapped up last season by going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA, but didn’t take the mound until June 23 — he was recovering from offseason surgery.

It’s not a blockbuster signing by any stretch as Scherzer approaches the tail-end of his illustrious big league career, however it’s still a win for the Toronto.

The Blue Jays spent the entirety of the offseason getting involved in pursuits for premier-caliber free agents — and missing. They went after Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki, but had nothing to show for it. It wasn’t until January that Toronto landed a noteworthy free agent and inked Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract.

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Scherzer obviously isn’t the 18-win, 200-plus-inning starter he once was with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals, but that doesn’t devalue the addition entirely.

Toronto’s pitching staff led the American League in home runs (208) surrendered last season, ranked 12th in walks (503) and 24th in total strikeouts (1,314). If the numbers don’t tell the story, the front office’s chase for nearly every big-name free agent should explain the franchise’s dire need for pitching depth.

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Adding Scherzer to the mix could help the Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt starter’s trio get the team back on track after 2024’s 74-88 run. The Blue Jays also haven’t won a playoff series in nine years while Scherzer is two years removed from winning the World Series with the Rangers.

It’d be a stretch to consider Scherzer a franchise-altering signing at age 40, however, perhaps the generational talent’s presence and influence in Toronto’s clubhouse could get the team out of the division’s bottom end.

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Scherzer has recorded a career record of 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA and 3,407 strikeouts, making the 17-year veteran a soon-to-be first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Featured image via Sam Navarro/Imagn Images