Interesting structure of Max Scherzer’s new contract is revealed

Max Scherzer largely has to focus on just one thing next season — innings pitched.

The three-time Cy Young winner Scherzer officially agreed to return to the Toronto Blue Jays late on Wednesday night. We promptly learned that Scherzer was signing a one-year contract for a modest base salary but with up to $10 million in incentives in the deal.

On Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today revealed the exact incentive structure for Scherzer. Mad Max’s incentives on his new contract are entirely tied to innings pitched.

Nightengale reports that Scherzer will earn $1 million once he gets to 65 innings pitched on the season. Then he will get another $1 million for every 10 innings after that (all the way up to 155 innings pitched).

That is a pretty fair structure for both Scherzer, who will turn 42 in July, and the Blue Jays. Scherzer threw 85 total innings for Toronto last season but was all the way up at 152.2 innings back in 2023 with the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers (albeit before he was felled by subsequent herniated disc, hamstring, and nerve issues).

Overall in the 2025 regular season, Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA and 82 strikeouts through 17 total starts. But he managed to produce some very magical moments during Toronto’s run to the 2025 World Series and has now successfully landed a new contract with the team well before Opening Day 2026.