Max Scherzer's endorses "all-in" Blue Jays

This year could be Max Scherzer's last dance. And, if his recent comments are any indication, he wants that dance to end with a World Series celebration.

Scherzer held a media availability with the Blue Jays' beat on Friday, where he spoke glowingly about the Blue Jays chances to compete, going as far to say the team was in an "all-in" position, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.

“I’m not just playing to play," Scherzer said, per Matheson. "I’m playing to win. I feel like Toronto offered that.”

This year will mark Scherzer's 18th year in the bigs across seven different organizations. He's thrown over 2,800 innings in his big league career with a career 3.16 ERA, and has won two World Series (2019 and 2023).

He only threw 43 1/3 innings last year due to back surgery and a nerve issue, but still managed to record a 3.95 ERA.

Scherzer had good things to say about the state of Toronto's rotation, per CityNews' Lindsay Dunn.

"The Blue Jays have a staff here now that can eat some innings," he said, per Dunn. "With [Kevin] Gausman, [Chris] Bassitt, [José] Berríos, and [Bowden] Francis coming up and seeing what he can do. When you have a starting staff that really allows your team to function, being able to join that rotation and trying to add to it, that is how you win ballgames."

While it's tough to ask a ton of a pitcher who will turn 41 during the season, the Blue Jays quartet of Gausman, Bassitt and Berríos has a combined 48 years of MLB experience, which is a valuable intangible to have in the grind of a 162 game season.

This year will also be the first time Scherzer's had a normal spring training since 2023, as he missed all of last year's camp with the aforementioned back issue.

Not only did Scherzer's signing add some much needed depth to Toronto's rotation, it also gave a spark to a Toronto fanbase that's had to deal with being runner-ups to Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki, Corbin Burnes and (more recently) Pete Alonso.

It'll be interesting to see how Scherzer slots into the Blue Jays rotation. While there's a chance he could get the ball on Opening Day, there's also a chance that he could start the season as the No. 3 or 4 starter. Additionally, general manager Ross Atkins said that Yariel Rodríguez will be stretched out and compete for a spot in the starting rotation.

Regardless, Scherzer confirmed that he's joined the Blue Jays because he wants to win. Let's see if the rest of the team can make that happen.