TORONTO (AP) — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer and the Toronto Blue Jays finalized a US$15.5 million, one-year contract on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old was limited to nine starts with Texas last year, going 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. He opened the season on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery and was on the IL from Aug. 2 to Sept. 13 because of shoulder fatigue. He didn't pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.
Scherzer joins a projected rotation that includes Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt. The Blue Jays also have Bowden Francis coming off an impressive rookie season and Yariel Rodríguez, who signed a $32 million, five-year contract last February.
The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East at 74-88 and haven’t won a playoff game since they were eliminated by Cleveland in the 2016 AL Championship Series. They were swept in the wild-card round in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
The addition of Scherzer marks a second notable move for Toronto after it finalized a $92.5 million, five-year contract with outfielder Anthony Santander on Jan. 20.
Scherzer became a free agent after he completed a $130 million, three-year contract. He agreed to the deal with the New York Mets in November 2021, but he was traded to Texas in July 2023.
The right-hander won World Series titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023.
He won his first Cy Young Award when he went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts for Detroit in 2013. The eight-time All-Star earned consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with Washington in 2016 and 2017.
Scherzer is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in 466 games over 17 seasons, including 457 starts. He has 3,407 strikeouts in 2,878 innings.
He ranks second among active pitchers in strikeouts, wins and innings, trailing former teammate Justin Verlander in each category.
Right-hander Michael Petersen was designated for assignment by Toronto to open a roster spot.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
The Associated Press
