Should the Blue Jays bring back Max Scherzer?

Not many pitchers can match Scherzer’s experience and intangibles

As Scherzer showed in the playoffs, he can absolutely still be an impact pitcher that you can rely on in big games. It speaks volumes that the Blue Jays started him in game three of the World Series over Shane Bieber (after pitching game four of the ALCS) to line him up for his Game 7 start. Across 14 1/3 postseason innings, he gave up six runs while punching out eleven. Despite the Jays not being able to get it done, he made it abundantly clear that a team can win the World Series with a pitcher like Scherzer as its three or four starter.

After this run with Toronto, Mad Max has now pitched in the World Series with four different franchises. The fact that the three most recent teams he’s made it with – Washington, Texas, and Toronto – were nobody’s preseason pick to come close to a title shows that he brings an x-factor to a team’s pitching staff that can go a long way.

Can the Blue Jays afford to bank on him lasting the whole season in their rotation?

Yes and no.

Scherzer pitched just 85.0 regular-season innings in 2025, a year after throwing just 43 1/3 with Texas. Injury issues have been more frequent in recent years, and it isn’t something that would be wise to expect to go away as he continues to age. If the Blue Jays can bring back some of the major pieces that got them to the World Series, they would be able to fill the gaps throughout the regular season in hopes of having Scherzer ready for October.

It remains to be seen what kind of mindset the Blue Jays go into the offseason with.

On one hand, the Blue Jays won just their first AL East title since 2015, a division that is notoriously one of, if not the toughest in baseball. You can’t bank on the fact that this team will be able to win it again and get right back to the playoffs. On the other hand, the Blue Jays won the division in a year where they peaked late (thanks in large part to the emergence of budding ace Trey Yesavage), perhaps indicating that they  should be making moves this offseason with another deep playoff run in mind.

Bringing Scherzer back means that the team will likely need to rely on starting pitching depth at times during the regular season. Re-signing Bieber or another solid free agent pitcher would go a long way towards easing the stress on the future Hall of Famer from pitching a lot of innings. Regardless of the other pitching moves the Blue Jays make, it feels like bringing back a pitcher of Scherzer’s experience and big game poise is a no-brainer.