Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer caught fans' interest during last year's ALCS when he yelled at manager John Schneider, who wanted to take him out of Game 4 in the fifth inning.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Max Scherzer said he wasn’t done with baseball last year and it appears he was right.
The 41-year-old pitcher agreed on Wednesday to a one-year contract with the Blue Jays but he still needs to pass a physical exam before the agreement is finalized.
Toronto has not said when the physical will take place. If all goes well, however, he is likely to report to the club’s training facility in Dunedin, Fla., over the weekend.
Scherzer has pitched for seven major league teams over 18 seasons, is an eight-time all-star and was won three Cy Young Awards, which are presented to the best pitcher each year in the American and National Leagues.
He signed a one-year contract for US$15.5-million with Toronto just before the start of spring training in 2025 and he turned out to be a valuable addition to the pitching staff. He won Game 4 of the American League Championship Series to tie it 2-2, after the Blue Jays had lost the first two games to Seattle at Rogers Place.
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In Game 4 of the ALCS, Scherzer barked at manager John Schneider and refused to leave the pitchers’ mound in the fifth inning. He attempted to retrieve Scherzer to the dugout but decided not to when he went full-bulldog on him.
He hasn’t earned the nickname Mad Max for nothing.
“I’ve been waiting for Max to yell at me all year,” Schneider said afterward.
“It was awesome. I thought he was going to kill me.”
Scherzer also made two starts in the World Series; In Game 7, he had a good start in what became a crushing one-run defeat in 11 innings.
Scherzer waves to the crowd as he leaves Game 7 of last year's World Series.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Toronto held a 3-2 lead in the series but was unable to win one of the next two at home. It last won the World Series in 1993.
Scherzer has been reported to have agreed to a one-year contract for US$3-million and an opportunity to earn as much as US$10-million in bonuses. The terms have yet to be confirmed.
“I am glad we were able to work out a deal,” Schneider said on Thursday afternoon. He said he spoke to Scherzer both Wednesday and Thursday morning. “We know him and he can still help us win games. Hopefully he passes a physical and we’re looking forward to having him.”
Scherzer won World Series titles with Houston in 2019 and Texas in 2023. He has also thrown no-hitters twice and has a 221-117 record in regular-season games. He needs to pitch just 37 innings to reach 3,000 for his career.
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It’s not quite clear how he might be used by the Blue Jays. He could possibly end up in the starting rotation but that is a big ask for a fellow who will turn 42 on July 27 and threw only 85 innings a year ago. Him being a spot starter is more likely.
The rotation already includes Kevin Gausman, who made his first start of the spring against the Miami Marlins on Thursday and worked a scoreless inning. Dylan Cease is a cinch to be the No. 1 or No. 2 starter, and Schneider has already committed another spot to Cody Ponce. Trey Yesavage has yet to pitch while José Berríos is making a run at returning to the rotation after injuries. Eric Lauer will make his second start on Friday and Shane Bieber, who has sat out so far due to arm soreness should be available in the next month to six weeks.
“We’ll see,” the manager said about Scherzer. “He’s keeping himself ready, so we’ll have to sit down, look at what the rest of the calendar for spring looks like and go from there. One of the things we do know about him is he’s very particular about routines, so we’ll hash that out when he gets here.
“I wish I could keep everybody happy. Their play, their performance dictates it and everyone’s a big boy. They understand where we’re at.”