MLB Legends Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer Remain in Limbo

There are two clear-cut future Hall of Famers available in free agency right now in Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

Verlander spent the 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants and had a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts to go along with a 137-to-52 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 152 innings of work. That's legit production that any contender would be fortunate to have in the middle of the starting rotation. Scherzer made 17 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays and had a 5.19 ERA in 85 innings of work. His regular season production wasn't up to par with the rest of his career, but he was a key piece en route to Game 7 of the World Series.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Now, they're both still looking for work and MLB Network's Jon Morosi gave updates on both free agents on Monday.

There are two legends still available

Sep 27, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) takes the field to face the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

"Who wants to sign a future Hall of Famer? They're out there and available. Both Verlander and Scherzer. One team that is certainly in that conversation: the Baltimore Orioles. We know they want to get at least one more starting pitcher. They've been pretty active overall this offseason. When you consider Max Scherzer and his future, Ken Rosenthal has reported that maybe Scherzer will wait until after Opening Day to make a decision. And again, you start to think about the reasons why. Maybe that Padres possibility is out there depending on how that [Yu Darvish] situation is solved.

"Other teams could have flexibility. Look at a team like the Chicago White Sox, who in their situation, just moved Luis Robert Jr.'s contract, so they now have additional flexibility. A team like the Guardians, we talked about spreading out some of [José Ramírez's] money over the long term. Maybe that gives them some flexibility as well. ... Verlander was great down the stretch. I'm a little surprised no one traded for him before the deadline. ... I think both of them will find a way to pitch in 2026."

The free agent market has moved slowly in general this offseason and this is yet another example of how. Both were important pieces for their respective teams in 2025. The market has been confusing this winter, but there are just a couple of weeks to go until Spring Training. If there was a time for movement in the market, it would be now.

More MLB: Cody Bellinger-Yankees Signing Leaves One Elite Free Agent Left