The Blue Jays officially announced a contract renewal. Max Scherzer With a one-year contract. Boras Corporation customers are reportedly guaranteed $3 million and can earn up to $10 million in incentives. He earned his first $1 million bonus in 65 innings, and received an additional $1 million bonus for every 10 innings, up to 155 total frames. Toronto secures 40-man roster spot for weekend by waiving infielder Ben CowlesWho the Cubs claimed.
This is the Hall of Fame’s second season in Toronto. The three-time Cy Young Award winner signed a contract worth $15.5 million with the Jays during the 2024-25 offseason. He was coming off a shortened season for the Rangers that limited him to nine starts. Scherzer had back surgery the previous offseason, and a nerve issue in his throwing arm limited him after recovering from back surgery.
The arm was still a problem last season. Scherzer left his team debut after three innings due to thumb pain. It was traced to a nerve issue, and ultimately the Jays shut Scherzer down for several months. He did not return to the MLB mound until late June.
Scherzer was able to avoid the injured list after that point, but he did not perform at his usual level. For the first time in his career, he allowed more than five earned runs per nine innings. He finished the season with a batting average of 5.19 in 85 innings. Scherzer has allowed more than four runs in a start only once, but only seven times in more than five innings. He appeared in 17 games and recorded six quality starts.
The 17-year veteran still has the ability to miss at-bats at a league-average level. He struck out 23% of batters, slightly above average, against a 6.4% walk rate. The problem is the damage done when the batters make contact. For the first time in his career, Scherzer allowed more than two home runs per nine innings. This is the fourth highest home run rate among pitchers who have pitched more than 70 innings in MLB.
Scherzer’s average fastball velocity last season was 93.6 mph. That’s one tick higher than his 2024 mark and a reversal of a slight downward trend in his velocity in the late 30s. Still, he had trouble getting hitters to chase his breaking balls outside the strike zone. Scherzer certainly doesn’t have the same ability as he did in his prime, which makes him better at hitting when he needs to challenge hitters. He has allowed a higher-than-average home run rate for three straight seasons.
Scherzer, 41, profiles on paper as a back-end starter. However, he has a wealth of big game experience and has shown he can still perform on the biggest stages. The Jays left Scherzer off their roster for their division series matchup with the Yankees. They brought him back for the AL Championship Series against Seattle and the World Series against the Dodgers.
Scherzer pitched 5 2/3 frames of two-run balls to win Game 4 of the ALCS. He struggled a bit in Game 3 of the World Series, then came back in Game 7, allowing one run in 4 1/3 innings. Scherzer left the mound with a 3-1 lead in a game that would have gone down in Toronto sports history had the bullpen held the lead.
They will aim to get over the hump in 2026. Assuming Scherzer develops in time for Opening Day, he’ll probably slot into a six-man rotation to start the season. shane bieber He will begin the year on the injured list after suffering forearm strain during a playoff game. Toronto was scheduled to start the season with a five-game start. stop dylan, Kevin Gausman, Tray Yesavig, Jose Berrios and Cody Ponce.
Yesavage is entering his first MLB season. Ponce became somewhat of a wild card when he returned from Korea. Scherzer will probably never log more than 150 innings at this stage of his career. Opening with a six-man rotation will allow the Jays to take some of the pressure off a rotation that has been carrying as much of the load as possible until October.
But this has a trickle-down effect in the bullpen. The 13-pitcher limit means the Jays would be down to a seven-man bullpen if they go this route. This increases the importance of having a quality long reliever with a following. Eric Lauer Covers multiple innings.
At the same time, this makes Lauer less likely to earn a rotation spot. The left-hander is an impending free agent and said he would prefer a starting opportunity. There has been no indication that Lauer will seek a trade if the Jays keep him in a relief role, but the left-hander told Mitch Bannon of The Athletic that he believes pitching out of the bullpen last season was costly in arbitration. Lauer lost his hearing. That means he will be paid the $4.4 million salary the team wants, rather than the $5.75 million he submitted in camp.
If everyone remains healthy as Opening Day approaches, this could be a situation worth monitoring. For now, this seems like the ideal outcome for both the Jays and Scherzer. A $3 million base salary would push his luxury tax salary to about $319 million, a franchise record, according to RosterResource. The Jays are taxed at a 90% rate on spending over $304MM. The deal carries a base tax of $2.7 million. Earn performance bonuses is Since it’s part of the team’s CBT calculation, the Jays will pay a 90% commission on every dollar Scherzer unlocks by hitting inning milestones throughout the year.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the agreement. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi had a base of $3 million and an incentive of $10 million. Heyman reported the incentive structure. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images.
