Blue Jays Rotation Well Protected After Max Scherzer's Return
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As far as free agent signings go, bringing back Max Scherzer isn't the most logical or practical one.
He is, after all, a 41-year-old pitcher who has made just 34 starts over the past three seasons joining a Toronto Blue Jays squad with no fewer than seven established starting pitchers. Lest anyone think he could be a viable bullpen option, his last regular season relief outing came during his 2008 rookie season.
But given the mutual admiration shared between Scherzer and the Blue Jays organization after the 2025 season, perhaps not every signing needs to be entirely logical or practical.
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Scherzer is back in Toronto on an incentive-laden one-year, $3 million contract that could reach as high as $13 million based on reported benchmarks tied to his number of innings pitched. His role with the team isn't immediately clear, but the low-risk financial commitment affords the organization patience to wait and see.
Scherzer Gives the Blue Jays Roster Options
Technically, Scherzer serves to replace Bowden Francis, who is set to miss the 2026 season while undergoing Tommy John surgery. However, while Francis was never expected to factor into the Blue Jays' 2026 plans, the three-time Cy Young winner probably didn't come back to spend the year in the minors.
While Scherzer's pre-Opening Day signing helped Toronto avoid a potential bidding war for his services, the club is unlikely to rush him along in getting back on the mound. As it is, they have six pitchers expected to assume starting roles, plus a versatile depth option in Eric Lauer, who is coming off of a sensational season in which he went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 28 appearances and 15 starts.
Of course, as the old saying goes, you can never have too much pitching. And for as deep and talented as the Blue Jays' pitching corps is, there are plenty of reasons why a little extra insurance can only be a good thing.
The starting rotation has already absorbed some injury-related setbacks ahead of the 2026 campaign, as Francis was lost for the season and Shane Bieber is experiencing arm fatigue stemming from his own Tommy John return last season.
While newcomer Dylan Cease and returning ace Kevin Gausman have demonstrated proven durability over their careers, Toronto reportedly already has an eye towards managing Trey Yesavage's workload over what will be his first full major league season. Meanwhile, Cody Ponce brings promise but uncertainty in first taste of the big leagues since 2021 and Jose Berrios is looking to bounce back following a disastrous 2025 campaign.
The addition of Scherzer also presumably shifts Lauer into a full-time bullpen role, barring unforeseen circumstances. While that may not be great news for Lauer, it helps to further stabilize what the Blue Jays hope to be an improved relief corps.
Here, Toronto has taken a relatively low-risk gamble that Scherzer, the team's reigning Game 7 starter, can still serve as a clubhouse leader and useful bit of rotation depth, all the while potentially saving a vintage performance or two for October. And at just $3 million in guaranteed money, why not?
Scherzer may not fill a particular need for the Blue Jays. However, the club loved the fiery, competitive personality and veteran know-how he brought to the clubhouse and the big game experience he brought to the mound, while the future Hall of Famer seemed to genuinely enjoy being a part of the organization. Now, they run it back.
Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.