Blue Jays cement elite rotation with blockbuster Max Scherzer signing

Eric Cole

Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners / Alika Jenner/GettyImages

The Toronto Blue Jays have been hellbent on making a major splash this offseason. It certainly took a while for the front office to actually convince free agents of note to sign, but they have made significant progress lately.

The addition of Jeff Hoffman to beef up the bullpen, as well as the signing Anthony Santander for some added power in their lineup, have turned the offseason narrative around.

However, things still felt incomplete. The Blue Jays' rotation was in "okay" shape heading into 2025, but it lacked depth, and that is not a place you want to be in, given how many arms get hurt year in, year out.

While Toronto's latest signing comes with his own risks, it is still rather exciting, as it was reported early Thursday evening that Max Scherzer is signing with the Blue Jays.

Right-hander Max Scherzer and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a one-year, $15.5 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The Blue Jays have been interested in Scherzer for weeks now, and the deal for him to join their rotation is done. First on the news was @JonHeyman.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 30, 2025

Max Scherzer agrees to one year deal with the Blue Jays as Toronto's offseason comeback continues

Obviously, this move would have been more exciting a few years ago, but adding Scherzer is still a tremendous get for Toronto and could pay massive dividends. Up until the last year or two, Scherzer was one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball, and is a surefire Hall of Famer once his playing days are done. He also is a fierce competitor that desperately wants to win, which can't hurt the Blue Jays' chances with him on their roster.

Of course, there are some challenges here. Scherzer's best days are behind him at 40 years old, and several injuries in 2024 limited him to just nine starts with a 3.95 ERA. It seems like he has put at least some of those injury concerns behind him with his latest showcase for teams, but it is going to be worth monitoring.

Given that Scherzer's deal is for one year at a pretty reasonable rate of $15.5 million, that's great value for a guy of his stature. There is a chance it doesn't work out and Scherzer is truly washed, but it is a worthy gamble on a guy that could be a steal at that price if he he has anything left in the tank.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.