Toronto Blue Jays Welcome Max Scherzer to Roster as Contract Becomes Official

Scherzer had been connected to the Blue Jays for weeks before signing, and now he'll pair in the rotation with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt. It's likely that the fifth spot will go to Bowden Francis with Yariel Rodriguez heading to the bullpen, though that hasn't been confirmed yet.

If Rodriguez goes to the bullpen, he'll strengthen that unit, which was one of the worst in baseball last year. The Blue Jays have also brought in relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia this offseason. Offensively, they've added Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez. Toronto is coming off a last-place finish in the American League East, but these additions have fans excited about the possibility of improvement.

The 40-year-old Scherzer is a 17-year veteran of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019 and was part of the Rangers team that captured the title in 2023.

Lifetime, he's 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA. He battled injury in 2024, making just nine starts, so the Blue Jays will hope he's healthy in 2025. He'll also provide veteran leadership throughout the clubhouse. A notoriously hard worker, he'll set a positive example for young players who come through the clubhouse.

Scherzer is an eight-time All-Star and a three-time Cy Young winner. He's struck out 3,407 batters in his career, which is second among current pitchers (Justin Verlander).