Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer is returning to the team for the 2026 season, according to reports from Jon Heyman of The New York Post and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The deal is worth $3 million with the potential for an additional $10 million in performance bonuses.
The 41-year-old Scherzer signed a $15.5 million contract with the Blue Jays prior to the 2025 season, but his time in Toronto was hampered by injuries. He was limited to just nine starts and 43 1/3 innings due to back surgery, a nerve issue in his throwing arm, and later, thumb soreness. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Scherzer debuted in MLB in 2008 and has almost 3,000 innings pitched with a 3.16 earned run average.
Scherzer’s 2025 season saw him post a 5.19 ERA over 85 innings, the first time in his 17-year career he’d allowed more than five earned runs per nine innings. While his strikeout rate remained slightly above league average at 23%, he surrendered a career-high rate of home runs, the fourth-highest in MLB among pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched.
Despite the challenges, Scherzer’s fastball velocity rebounded slightly to 93.6 mph, reversing a previous downward trend. He continued to generate swings and misses, with a 6.4% walk rate, but struggled with contact when hitters did connect.
The Blue Jays brought Scherzer back for the postseason in 2025, including a win in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against Seattle and a start in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs in the ALCS victory. Though he left Game 7 with a 3-1 lead, the bullpen ultimately failed to hold the advantage.
Scherzer has been an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, and a two-time World Series champion, winning with the Washington Nationals in 2019 and the Texas Rangers in 2023, according to his Wikipedia page. He has pitched two no-hitters in his career and holds the MLB record for 20 strikeouts in a 9-inning game (tied).
