The Toronto Blue Jays welcomed future first-ballot Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer to the American League East on Thursday.
Toronto signed Scherzer to a one-year, $15 million deal, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, but the Blue Jays weren’t alone in their pursuit of the three-time Cy Young Award winner. Several teams, including the Boston Red Sox, attended a recent workout Scherzer held in front of scouts and other team representatives, per Sports Illustrated’s Pat Ragazzo.
Ultimately, the interest Boston expressed didn’t deliver Scherzer to the Red Sox but the 40-year-old wasn’t a necessary target either.
Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow re-polished the entire pitching staff already, first by improving the bullpen through newcomers Justin Wilson and Aroldis Chapman. The effort continued when the Red Sox traded four prospects for Garrett Crochet and then snagged fellow starting pitchers Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval from free agency to enhance the depth. This allowed for Garrett Whitlock’s return to the bullpen and made it fairly unnecessary to submit a Scherzer bid.
Rumors suggesting Scherzer would consider a bullpen role were quickly shut down by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi and if anything, the right-hander’s agreement to join Toronto supports the report even more. Scherzer will pitch alongside Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt in a staff responsible for allowing the second-most home runs (208) in baseball last season — and the most in the American League.
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That’s no minor role, even as Scherzer approaches 41 years of age in July.
The Blue Jays threw their eggs in nearly every premier free agent’s basket this offseason, swinging and missing at chances to sign Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki. This time, Toronto didn’t fail completely and instead landed outfielder Anthony Santander, fresh off belting a career-high 44 home runs in 2024, on a five-year, $92.5 million contract.
It’s clear Toronto isn’t settling for another division standings plummet in 2025, even though the past two offseasons have been rough for the franchise.
Scherzer, like the Blue Jays, is also on the hunt for redemption in 2025. The eight-time All-Star reached the mountaintop with the Texas Rangers in 2023 as a World Series champion for the second time in his career, but it wasn’t a smooth two-year stint by any measure. Scherzer made 17 starts in two years with Texas, anchored by injuries including arm fatigue and nerve issues throughout 2024.
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He went 2-4 across nine starts and recorded a 3.95 ERA in 43 1/3 innings thrown.
The Red Sox will cross paths with Scherzer and the Blue Jays 13 times throughout the upcoming 2025 campaign and battle to make it out of the AL East with a playoff spot secured by October.
Featured image via Tim Heitman/Imagn Images
