Will a Max Scherzer return be enough to fix the pitching staff ahead of deadline?

The Toronto Blue Jays recent series with the Philadelphia Phillies just proved how important pitching depth will be as the postseason stretch drive approaches. The Blue Jays were outscored 22-6 by a Phillies team that is largely regarded as one of the better teams in the National League this season. Scherzer signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays in February but due to a lingering thumb issue, he has been on the shelf for basically the entire season.

Will a Max Scherzer return be enough to fix pitching staff ahead of deadline?

Scherzer sported a 2-4 record with a 3.95 ERA with the Texas Rangers in 2024 and is headed for the Hall of Fame, but at 40-years-old the question is, how much does he have left in the tank? On Friday evening, Blue Jays fans got a glimpse of that question being answered as Scherzer pitched in his first rehab outing since the injury in March. Scherzer threw 56 pitches across 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts for Triple-A Buffalo. Encouraging signs, and Scherzer will be making his second rehab start on Wednesday.

If that outing goes well, his return to the Blue Jays could follow, which would be huge news for a team that could use all the pitching help it can get at this point as they make a push to secure a
secure a wild card berth/postseason spot. While Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman and José Berrios have done their job holding down the fort in the starting rotation, Bowden Francis continues to struggle, while the fifth spot has been a combination of spot starters spot starters such as Eric Lauer, Yariel Rodriguez, and José Ureña while adding in bullpen days, which looks like it is starting to wear thin on all the arms involved.

The best case scenario for the Blue Jays would be a healthy Scherzer who could eat innings and take pressure off the bullpen. But even if the three-time Cy Young Award winner can't get back to his old dominant self, at this point Toronto would be ok with a back end guy that could give them five innings every fifth day with an average of four runs allowed. That's just where we're at with Toronto's pitching staff as the Blue Jays will need to target some insurance arms at the deadline, or hope that other internal options start to emerge.

If Scherzer becomes a useful piece in the rotation, Toronto can at least cross that off their shopping list at the deadline and focus on potentially adding just one starter, or maybe an extra bullpen guy with swing and miss stuff. Toronto only signed "Mad Max" to a one year deal and they will
want to get the most out of their veteran who will be a free agent this winter. Right now we are still at a wait and see approach, but if Scherzer can build upon his positives from his outing in Buffalo, the front office staff can start to slowly breath a sigh of relief.