This has been a challenging season for Max Scherzer, who has been limited to eight starts. Back surgery and a thumb injury kept the three-time Cy Young winner from making his season debut until the middle of June. He has been back on the injured list for the last two weeks because of shoulder fatigue. The defending World Series winners have plummeted 11 games below .500 with a terrible month of August.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t seem Scherzer is comfortable with this season as a swan song. The eight-time All-Star told reporters that he expects to continue playing in 2025 (link via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). “When I’m out there, I’ve been able to compete,” Scherzer noted. “I can still pitch at a high level. I look at things like my slider, which I went into the season wanting to fix, and it’s been really good. I still see myself as able to compete and win.”
Scherzer, who turned 40 in July, has been the fourth-oldest player in the majors this season. Two-time teammate Justin Verlander, Jesse Chavez, and Charlie Morton are older. Scherzer nevertheless remains capable of performing well when healthy. He has turned in a 3.89 ERA with a solid 24.1% strikeout percentage and an excellent 5.1% walk rate across 39 1/3 innings. Those aren’t vintage Scherzer numbers, yet it’s still quality mid-rotation production. That’s despite him pitching at what appears to be less than full strength. His velocity was down a tick relative to last season, which could be attributable to the various injuries through which he has battled.
An injury-plagued year is going to raise more concern for a player of Scherzer’s age. Still, this will be the first season (excluding the shortened schedule) in which he hasn’t reached 145 innings since his 2008 rookie year. While he battled injuries during last year’s postseason and was eventually pulled from the World Series roster, he still combined for 162 1/3 innings between the Mets and Rangers in the regular season and playoffs.
Texas is all but officially buried in the playoff race this year, but Scherzer came out of a bullpen session without issue today and looks to be on track for a return from the injured list relatively shortly. He could make another six or seven starts to finish the season.
Scherzer seems set on continuing his Hall of Fame career for an 18th year. There’s nevertheless uncertainty about where he’ll be playing. He’s in the final season of the three-year, $130MM free agent contract which he signed with New York in 2021. He’ll return to the open market during the upcoming offseason. Scherzer certainly isn’t going to match the three-year term or record-setting $43.333MM average annual value of his current contract, but he should still command a strong one-year deal.
Players like Jack Flaherty, Frankie Montas and Luis Severino all landed guarantees between $13MM and $16MM as rebound candidates last offseason. Scherzer is much older than that trio but he’s had a more accomplished career and has the ability to turn in an ace-caliber year. A deal in the $15-20MM range on a high-payroll club with legitimate World Series aspirations could be viable. That might be Texas, though they’ll need to make other moves in the rotation and strengthen the bottom part of the lineup if they’re to make a renewed push to contend.
He’s playing for the money which is fine but not the love of the game.
Who wouldn’t play as long as they can? How do you know it’s just for money?
Scherzer is 4th on the all time MLB career earnings list. He doesn’t need the money.
Wait until the contract he gets is $10m or less plus incentives. I can’t see a club at the tax threshold paying more as his injuries remain a concern. $15m becomes $32m for the Dodgers. If he’s healthy, no problem but if’s mostly on the DL, they’d have to add to that with a replacement player’s cost.
Meant to add if he’s only offered (“only”) an incentive laden deal, we’ll know if it was for the money or love of the game. My thinking is it’s neither. He just loves competition (even against himself) and likely has personal goals he’s trying to achieve. He certainly doesn’t need the money to “feed his family”.
Any team that risks paying him anything gets what they deserve.
Not exactly smart to throw 40m+ deals at 40yo pitchers, regardless of how good they have been in the past and hope (wish?) for good health, plus positive results.
Boras going to have his work cut out for him this offseason with the hype machin regarding Scherzer. Getting 1/3 of the 43m he just got will be a serious overpay my 2c, unless it’s gradual, by meeting serious innings/performance levels.
I didn’t read your prior post John but I’m in agreement. I had no issues with Cohen giving the amount had it been for one year. That said, he probably wouldn’t have come to NY without the additional years and Cohen was looking to make a splash. It made sense then for him but most majority owners have a fiduciary responsibility to other owners.
SFS
“Any team that risks paying him anything gets what they deserve.”
They get whatever Sneeze
Scherzer is capable of producing next year.
No one knows exactly what that is.
Likely, an above average rate of performance in 120-150 innings
How is a Boras client. He was the main person causing the strike/lockout a couple of seasons ago. He was acting crazy in negotiations I remember reading. Trying to win at all costs with getting a deal done and voting against everything that both sides wanted.
Max has been awful in the postseason ever since Washington traded him to the Dodgers. He was booed off the mound in the Mets postseason game he pitched as he was pulled early.
The strike/lockout was looming before the CBA expired. And you don’t vote til after you are done negotiating.
HAHAHA ROFL LOLROFL TEE HEE HEE OMG SMDH
Is he planning on pitching in 2024?
Still one of the best pitchers in the game when healthy. He deserves respect for what he has achieved.
Not. He’s a mid level starter at best at a very price and super injury prone. I respect the hell out of him and wish him well with another team.
Come to Papa, says this Nats fan. And at a reasonable price.
May as well, they are still paying him for the next couple of years, anyway.
Nats are going to have a rotation consisting of Gore, Irvin, Parker, Gray, Cavalli, Herz. They could probably sign a multiyear vet ace if they wish to contend in the coming years. But not seeing how they would want one year of Scherzer in 2025, when they definitely need to give the young arms more innings to develop.
Gray is out all 2025 and not good anyway. But I agree about Max. They do need good SP as that 5 isn’t any sort of powerhouse and little depth and it’s time to try to compete
Texas should try it again. Remember Bochy wins every other year!!!!
How many times have they had a future HOF pitcher??
Well they got degrom
@Jan6worsethan911
He can play for the love of the game on a league minimum salary.
OY
“He can play for the love of the game on a league minimum salary.”
He could. But why?
The league minimum salary is a farce. It mostly only applies to indentured servants who deserve millions more.
Now that’s a truly stupid comment.
Agreed. What policeman, firefighter or assembly line worker makes $735k a year?
ctb
(Padmé/Anakin for the better meme
-“What policeman, firefighter or assembly line worker makes $735k a year?”
-You’re making the point that labor should be paid more, right?
–
-“right”)
Old York, if he loves the game that much he can play at AAA and let a young prospect get a chance. Joey Votto can let him know where all the Five Guys and good bars are.
libl
“Old York, if he loves the game that much he can play at AAA and let a young prospect get a chance. Joey Votto can let him know where all the Five Guys and good bars are.”
Or, you know, he can do what every person should have the right to do – offer his services to the highest bidder and any offer that he wants
Yeah, good luck with that!
Why would he quit??? He’s in the top 5 for best starting pitcher of the 21st century
Maybe because he’s old and washed up and is only looking for at least one more multi million dollar payday.
No one is forcing any owner to pay Max anything. And Max already has all the dough anyone needs.
RE GuardiansFan
“Maybe because he’s old and washed up and is only looking for at least one more multi million dollar payday.”
Every attack is a confession
Dodger: His name is ‘Indianfan’. Don’t push your own agenda. Have some respect.
Some day filihok will run out of email addresses to get new MLBTR accounts, let’s just hope it’s soon.
Libl
A basic level of respect is always given
Then it’s either earned or lost
In this instance it was lost.
“Dodger: His name is ‘Indianfan’. Don’t push your own agenda. Have some respect.”
Let me guess. You’re one of those people that also gets uptight about preferred pronouns.
Sad, sometimes saying something to justify your point doesn’t work. The 21st century, due to the amount of years involved established that Max was great in the past and it was a long ago (start time) past. This proves that he has been around a game longer than the average successful pitcher (historical averages) and was one of the best in his generation.
This however does not help in the argument that he shouldn’t or should quit.
I don’t care what he does and don’t judge or feel that he needs to justify his desire to play – whatever the reason. The point is he will be 41, not doing well with injuries and this is not a game made for 40 year olds (statistically speaking).
If someone offers a contract – that’s on them. If he takes it because he wants to play, more power to him and everyone lives with what they get because it’s a crapshoot on pitcher health although the risk is waaaay higher on Max than the other guys available in early 30’s.
This has Arte Moreno written all over it.
Nobody loves to pay over the hill guys to suck and be injured more than Arte.
True. But those are usually sluggers past their primes. Arte hasn’t invested significant money in pitching since C.J. Wilson
Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard are decent comps here.
Scherzer can sign with any team he wants, and I doubt the Angels are anywhere close to the top of his list.
I could see a nationals last dance reunion
But Moreno signs them right after their last good season. If he was going to sign Scherzer, it would have been in 2022.
Sure Scherzer “wants” to pitch in ’25, probably ’26, ’27 and on, as long as he gets a check. He wants to get “Paid”, whether he pitches or not! Not a ring chaser, a check chaser! He has numerous times told the Media that he had “Dead Arm” because he was overused! He has sat on the bench the last few years way more than he has been on a mound! CHASING A CHECK! COHEN is to blame for him and Verlander bleeding money out of teams without providing any bang for their buck!
I’m sure someone will give him an opportunity next season. Who will depend on his asking price and who is willing to pay it
Max is probably going to get one-year deals, but yeah someone will pay. Nationals maybe for nostalgia?
Don’t forget that when scherzer was with the Dodgers, he faked an injury when it was his turn to pitch in the post season because he was scared of choking and losing the elimination game. Which he would have. scherzer has been washed up for years. you’re no Justin Verlander, max. It’s time to hang them up.
One thing is for sure, Scherzer deserves a Max salary.
For Sure-zer!
If it’s just 1 year and <$20 million, the Tigers could consider taking a chance. Low-payroll team, expected to contend, need a pitcher, fans would love it, the whole end-of-career-reunion thing. (I don't think Tigers management want to throw $20 mill to give the fans a bone, but if they truly feel they don't NEED a big acquisition, this would certainly be fan-friendly.)
Sherzer clearly seems to want to keep competing and – independent of his stuff on any given day/year/decade – he is a fearsome, value-plus competitor. He could have something left in the tank.
In my opinion Max is a cheater, a liar, and washed up. His last good season was 2021. Since then he has been caught cheating, lied about it while swearing on his children, and missed more than a season to injuries. Mets players didn’t like him, NYC media said he was a divisive presence in the clubhouse, and it was Dodgers players that accused him of faking an injury. I wouldn’t want him on my team in 2025.
He will get a deal somewhere, but it’s going to be a one year deal for $12-15 million.
BBIL
“He will get a deal somewhere, but it’s going to be a one year deal for $12-15 million.”
Plus incentives
Just to be fair, he was well liked in Washington. He will almost certainly be the first hall of famer with a Nationals cap.
He doesn’t get to choose what cap he goes in with.
Thanks for the reminder- forgot about that. The fact that max scherzer cheated, and then lied about cheating, while swearing on his children’s lives, is despicable. max scherzer is a disgrace.
“Nobody plays for free”…I guess you’ve never heard of the millions of people who play recreational sports every single day? Money may be the main reason that pros play sports, but millions of people play sports for “free” every single day.
Children don’t play for free either. Parents pay for their kids to play.
I also thought Proust was writing a ridiculously long allegory on major league pitching. Finally someone sees it.
I was a fan until he got into the union leadership and tried to sabotage the ’23 season. He has no “love” for the game, if he ever did, only the paychecks….he hates the owners although they’ve made him fabulously wealthy. I think he’s nuts, have always thought he was nuts, and he won’t find another $40M a year contract on this planet.
Lots of angry people in this comment section unleashing on Scherzer.
It’s unfortunate how much this place has become a toxic cesspool.
As long as owners keep giving Max big money he will keep showing up and pitching at a diminished state. Does he have no pride?
you cant get mad at Texas, they are new to this overspending on useless veterans that Yankee fans are all to familiar with.
So apparently Seager and Semien cease to exist.
Scherzer was extremely disappointing. (P.S. That big contract was caused by Steve Cohen. We traded for Scherzer but had to pay for that thick salary.)
Seager is good, he just spends a lot of time on the IL.
Oh really? I don’t see how playing 85% of the games this year equates to a lot of time on the IL.
I do love Max. He was an elite pitcher for years with the Tigers and the Nationals. That being said the guy’s body is deteriorating and it’s obvious. He got a huge salary this year and has barely been on the mound. Not saying he can’t pitch next season, but he’s going to have to take a significant pay cut. Who knows,maybe he can win CBPOTY.
Are you a fan of classic cars, such as the 1956 Ford Thunderbird or 1959 Studebaker Hawk? Beautiful bodies, distinctive and dynamic. Something many of us would be proud to own.
But is that the vehicle you can rely on for a 25 mile daily commute? Or say, the 1100 mile drive next winter from New York to Miami?
OF COURSE, NOT.
Max is like that classic car: wonderful vibe, great back, but now at an age where you can rely on him.
**great backstory
TOS on his horizon? He’s about washed. Maybe take the Rich Hill route for next season. No way he lasts six
months let alone October.
The cardinals could use him
I don’t see 15 mill next year. I see 9 mill with lots of incentives based on innings pitched.
Scherzer and Verlander should do like Smoltz and become closers. They could dominate for 1 inning every other night.
Nobody beats Ol Man Time. Scherzer has had HOF run but is on wrong side of 40 now. I suspect showing he’s healthy and producing quality innings in the starts he may have left this yr will go along way in determining where and for how much he pitches next season. Guy was lights out stud for decade and borderline psychotic as far as competitiveness is concerned. He’s not playing for cash he’s playing cause he’s warrior and doesn’t want to let go. Fire burns deep in him. Believes he’s always got 1 more good gm in em, the next 1.