The 2025 season ended in heartbreak for the Blue Jays and their fans last night, but future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer made it clear that yesterday’s somber note isn’t the one he intends to wrap his career up on. Scherzer was asked about his future and, while he avoided specifics, made clear that he’s not yet ready to call it quits.
“The only thing I can say is,” Scherzer told reporters, as relayed Jesse Rogers of ESPN in the aftermath of last night’s game, “it’s going to take some time to give a full answer to that, but there is no way that was my last pitch.”
Scherzer turned 41 back in July, and it’s fair to wonder if the current season could be a player’s last even when he enters his late thirties. Fellow future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw wrapped up the final season of his career last night, having announced prior to the postseason that he wouldn’t be returning in 2026 for what would have been his age-38 campaign. Questions regarding Scherzer’s future were especially understandable given the health issues he’s dealt with in recent years. While the three-time Cy Young award winner was once among the most durable pitchers in the entire sport, nerve issues in his hand and thumb have contributed to him making just 26 starts over the past two years. His performance has slipped over that time as well, with a 4.77 ERA and a 4.72 FIP in 128 1/3 innings of work since the 2024 season began.
Even if Scherzer isn’t the surefire ace he once was, he’s still a valuable pitcher and one many teams would be happy to have on their roster. The veteran added 14 1/3 innings of 3.77 ERA baseball to his postseason resume during Toronto’s run and, while his regular season run prevention numbers may have been lackluster, his peripherals indicate that he’s still a solid starter. Scherzer’s 4.26 SIERA puts him in line with the performance of solid mid-rotation arms like Mitch Keller, Robbie Ray, and Yusei Kikuchi. His 16.5 K-BB% was on the same level as players like Carlos Rodon, Casey Mize, and Kris Bubic. His 12.4% barrel rate this year is certainly a potential red flag, but a team that believes they can help Scherzer keep the ball off the barrel next year would surely see Scherzer as a solid addition to their pitching staff.
Even so, it’s likely that Scherzer’s ceiling in free agency figures to be the one-year, $15.5MM contract he signed with Toronto last year, coming off a nine-start 2024 campaign with the Rangers. It’s possible he’ll need to come down from that price tag after a second injury-shortened season, though fellow future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander secured a similar one-year, $15MM guarantee from the Giants last winter coming off a season where he posted a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts quite similar to Scherzer’s 5.19 ERA in that same number of starts. At this stage in his career, Scherzer is sure to prioritize competing in October as he looks for his next team. That could well mean a return to the Blue Jays, as both Scherzer and teammate Chris Bassitt’s departures will leave room for the club to pursue additional rotation help.
Toronto is far from the only contender in need of starting pitching this offseason, however. The Cubs, Padres, and Red Sox all made the postseason this year and have already been linked to the starting pitching market. Meanwhile, teams like the Braves, Astros, and Giants that missed the playoffs this year still figure to try and contend next year and could pursue Scherzer from a similar position to the one the Blue Jays found themselves in this offseason. All of those clubs would be new to the veteran, but reunions with any of the Mets, Tigers, and Diamondbacks are at least plausible as well in addition to a return to the Jays.
Wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up back with the Jays on a 1 year between $10-$12 million.
This post seems kind of silly less than 12 hours after the Jays came within 2 outs of defeating the Dodgers and the guy who tied the game for LA was their utility infielder.
So close, yet so far. Scherzer is looking for another sucker. Max is a payroll bandit. Over 15 million for 85 innings and 5 wins on a team that made it to the World Series.
King,
He’s just upset his team, according to him, has dead balls.
robw5555: What a silly comment.
Teams aren’t stupid, and every signing is made with their eyes open. Nobody’s suckering or twisting anyone’s arm.
Max how do you feel? I feel great! I could toss 200 innings. He is also a huge PIA. He took Cohen and he Mets for a ride. hey were happy to see him go.
robw5555: A PIA? What harm has he caused you?
He hasn’t misled the Mets or any other team.
And as I said, teams operate with their eyes open. They’re not gullible or stupid. When he’s no longer able to perform within a range of expectations, nobody will offer him a contract.
And that’s not for you or any of us to decide or judge.
Like half the Dodgers payroll and pretty certain most would agree that the Jays were the better team. Lady luck was on the Dodgers side this world series!
The Jays were definitely playing better ball. Dodgers offense wasn’t clicking at all.
That being said, Dodgers came up clutch when they had to in order to win in the end. Experience matters.
Midinfieldlifer: Count me out of “most would agree” and speak for yourself.
Why does it matter now that it’s over?
The teams played fair and square by the same rules and one team won.
Nobody cheated and no rules were violated.
The team that played better, however slightly, won the series.
There is no other credible, legitimate way to decide the winner.
Saying that the better team didn’t win is simply arbitrary and baseless, in addition to overcomplicating the issue.
Alfred who said anything about cheating or rules? I said Lady luck was on the Dodgers side that’s just a fact. Yes I suppose they came up clutch when needed but they were outscored out hit and definitely had the bounces go their way.
Obviously it doesn’t matter now but if you break down the stats they sure didn’t outplay the Blue Jays. My point was that they aren’t a juggernaut. They were a 2 man show nothing more
Midinfieldlifer: Fair enough, you didn’t say anything about cheating or rules.
But I would argue that stats notwithstanding, the Dodgers outplayed the Blue Jays by just enough to win the series, and that’s why they did.
And teams being outscored but still winning is not unusual. My favorite example of this is the 1960 World Series, in which the Pirates were shut out twice and outscored 55-27, but they won in seven games.
What sometimes matters is not how many runs, but when they’re scored.
@Tow – Give it a break, god forbid a team has an ownership that’s actually invested in setting their team up to win it all. As a Red Sox fan that thought 2018 was the beginning of a dynasty like we’re seeing with LAD, I am incredibly envious they only doubled down after winning last season.
EVERY single team could spend like the Dodgers if all these billionaire owners weren’t such greedy hoarders of all that insane revenue!
That’s false. I don’t have a problem with the Dodgers spending money but let’s not pretend they don’t have an infinite revenue stream, an infinite pipeline for Japanese/overseas talent, and THE most ideal team to play for so players will choose them over the vast majority of other teams.
They aren’t losing money at the extent of paying their players.
Might as well scroll past Tow’s comments. He’s going to be a broken record all winter.
So its the Dodgers fault LA has a huge Japanese population and these guys want to play where they are comfortable? Really stupid statement on your part.
On some level I don’t disagree but if you’ve ever seen the financials of some MLB teams you wouldn’t make those comments. Not every team makes money hand over fist and I’ve read several teams audited statements and it’s different than you would think.
Towin
You watched those games and think the Jays didn’t have a chance?
What?
Towin
“Jays never stood a chance
What?
Did you watch the games?
Towin
Yes.
Did you watch the games? How do you think the Jays didn’t have a chance?
Yes sure MLB put a hidden jet inside the ball Rojas hit for a home run, hit the button on a secret device the moved home plate closer to the catcher so he could step on it in the bottom of the 10th and put a tracking device in Pages glove…. Give me a break
RE Shoeless
Yes. People are absurd
MLB is a business, and it’s going to make decisions the help, or, at minimum, don’t hurt, its most profitable teams. Of course
It’s not out there making sure Kirk hits it right to Mookie instead of up the middle to tie the game
Like, what?
This is a dumb take
There will be no salary cap. At least in the next player deal.
He was to busy checking out the balls.
Sounds like somebody who had the wrong side. I heard the same abotu the Yankees until the Marlins beat them in 2003. La may win the next 5 World Series.
So you’d be ok with giving him 10-12M for 1 year knowing he’ll probably start 15-20 times? You must like throwing money away
The questionable umpiring calls sure seemed to verify this in game 7. Plus’s letting Ohtani have ridiculous amounts of extra time.
Everybody was calling the Dodgers a Mickey Mouse Club, that always choked just two seasons ago. Now they’re the only team “allowed” to win a World Series? Okaaaay.
Stop publicly whining because the players choose to sign with the best organization, nobody put a gun to their heads. Stop watching sports if it upsets so much.
As we’ve seen from the Blue Jays it’s definitely possible to beat the Dodgers. It just happened that luck went the Dodgers’ way this time.
Also, only because he’s mentioned in this post, but I’m going to miss seeing Kershaw on the bump.
Kershaw said after the game he’s happy he doesn’t have to try and get hitters out with a 89mph fastball anymore.
Perfect ending to his career.
4 ws appearances with 4 different tms. is that a record?
It ties a record for making it to the World Series with 4 different teams.
Outfielder Lonnie Smith won the World Series three different times in the 80s with the Phillies, Cardinals and Royals. Then he was part of the 1991 and 1992 Braves teams who lost.
What a surprise the team with the biggest payroll has won the World Series the last two seasons. Those who have ruined baseball should be ashamed.
So where does the blame lie? The players refuse to allow a salary cap, so the finger can only be pointed at cheapskate owners like the ones that own your favorite team.
Don’t blame the Dodgers, they appear to have played the game expertly on all fronts from scouting to international ties to free agency.
yeast – Exactly! It’s like a minimum wage worker complaining about the millionaire in the neighborhood.
Don’t resent others who made better decisions in life, worked twice as hard, made a lot more sacrifices, and were highly motivated to succeed.
@Fever – That’s ridiculous, I know plenty of millionaires that haven’t worked even 10% as hard a single day in their life as the majority of low wage workers doing slave labor or working multiple insanely stressful jobs to make ends meet.
Get a grip, it’s so tone deaf and arguably racist to blame “their decisions in life” when many are simply born in to inescapable poverty or born into gold spoon wealth / connected opportunities because of their parents.
The astronomically insane wealth gap is the biggest problem in society, globally.
@hoptar – Yeah, simple minds arrive at simplistic arguments. “I made it, therefore anyone can”. The overall reality is that the game is rigged, and those on the very top generally do their level best to continue to negate any challenges that might undermine their incredible advantages.
If all owners could spend to the Dodgers level,why not force all owners to spend that much.LA Huge market,Great tv ratings.I assume if forced Pirates and Rockies owner would gladly spend to meet a agreed upon level.Why would they be afraid if they have the money,spend it.Fans will support their team if they all spent 300 miillion on Contracts for a season.Plus players would get paid.
@HighOnPineTar
You said:
“Get a grip, it’s so tone deaf and arguably racist to blame “their decisions in life” when many are simply born in to inescapable poverty or born into gold spoon wealth / connected opportunities because of their parents.”
Racist against who? Anyone can make better decisions in this life. Have you never heard the term rags to riches? It happens in real life. To those from every race or starting point in life.
For those who make bad decisions constantly? Life is hard. But it’s harder when you’re stupid.
With the wealth gap and concentration between rich and poor ever increasing it’s very apparent by the numbers that there are far more losers than winners in the social mobility game.
So either the game is rigged or fewer and fewer people are capable of empowering themselves. Neither option is comforting and suggests the current system kind of sucks.
Well.. in those cases, they worked smarter than harder.
High – I have plenty of friends and relatives who are millionaires … they didn’t inherit their wealth, they put in 100 hour weeks as they are workaholics.
You keep making assumptions and stereotyping which is WRONG. Notice I didn’t say ALL wealthy people worked for their fortune.
Speaking of stereotyping, what demographic are you claiming is poor at making decisions? Look in the mirror before pulling out the race card.
The biggest problem in society is too many people feel ENTITLED to handouts. The want what others have, but they don’t want to earn it.
And BTW the largest financial class in the US is MIDDLE CLASS. Not rich, not poor, MIDDLE CLASS.
Another – My family came to this country with virtually nothing. They were poor. However they worked hard, saved as much as possible, didn’t spend (not once did my parents ever go to a restaurant), and they made smart decisions like buying land and bonds etc. A couple of my relatives eventually became millionaires. Whatta ya know, anything is possible.
@HighOnPineTar
Do you really “know plenty of millionaires that haven’t worked even 10% as hard a single day in their life as the majority of low wage workers doing slave labor or working multiple insanely stressful jobs to make ends meet.”?
Not only are you full of it, but you’re envious. The only person you have to blame for somebody else’s success is yourself for lacking it.
Every millionaire I’ve met worked their butt off 80 hours a week or more for decades.
MuleorAstroMule: Sure, the game is rigged. Just like elections, according to a certain president who lost in 2020 but couldn’t admit or come to grips with it.
If you believe that, there’s a famous bridge about 3 miles from my house that I can sell you.
Alfred: And this is part of the problem. People would rather winge on about the other guy doing this or that (this time we talk a Pavlovian distraction to election fraud) than addressing the fact that almost citizen is statistically getting poorer.
But why address real issues that affect real people when we can get distracted by the useless theatre of two ineffective parties. Why question why we put up with terrible leadership from both sides when we can just laugh at the other guy’s terrible leadership?
I don’t pretend to understand this philosophy that everything is fine as long as the other guy has it worse and frankly I don’t care to. But is working for America? Because from where I sit things don’t seem that great these days. Even the guy you anointed king says so every day.
MuleorAstroMule: I didn’t anoint him. I have never voted for him.
@yeasties – The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The Dodgers are certainly pulling out all of the stops to win and should be congratulated. And some of the bottom market team owners are terrible and owe it to their fanbase to spend a lot more than they do and to put in greater effort to win.
It does not take away from the fact that the Dodgers have the market muscle to bludgeon the competition however, with ridiculous market revenues, an ownership group that can outspend everyone on top of that and the inherent advantage of the top Asian players all having the Dodgers at the top of their list for obvious reasons.
It will never be equitable, but the league should work towards reducing some of the inherent inequities while it also puts the screws to the owners that refuse to put in the effort.
True, but even if a small market team hypothetically matches the same offer as the Dodgers to a top free agent, the player is more likely to sign with the Dodgers for a chance to win.
No team can outbid them. Players care about money not “winning” Very rarely does a player take less. It can happen, but rarely. How many times does some free agent claim they met with owner, and they “like the schools” in the new city . Or some other nonsese. How many players other than Soto claim I go to the higest bidder whoever that may be.
Carver.
The inherent advantage in the Asian market you speak of was cultivated over decades. Cubs and Mariners also have excellent ties to the Asian market.
Just like some trans have advantages in DR, and other areas many players come from.
@ADF – The inherent advantage for LA is both demographic and geographic proximity. With those in the pocket, it was hardly a stretch for them to then work the marketing links and development of closer ties…duhh. Any Dodgers fans that fail to acknowledge the innate advantage are simply fooling themselves. Sure – Seattle has an advantage as well, and others have worked it with some nominal success but the reality is that very few teams even get to play, and those that do are at a distinct disadvantage from the start.
The ties to the Latin American market are different in that they all fall under the international signing setup for the most part and it is very rare to have an impact FA from there that has not already been a part of mlb whereas the Asian market gets some huge talents that are open bid as a routine.
The biggest market revenues by far; ownership that can overpower almost everyone and the Asian market dominance equates to born on 3rd with a solid lead. A very few other organizations are either sliding into 3rd or standing on 2nd, but the rest of the market is at the plate with two strikes. So congrats on the team, but don’t oversell it as brilliance. It is general competence tied to incredible leverage.
No one is to blame. Things just evolve. The people who have their money invested will decide if there is something to try and fix.
Hate the min wage guy calling out the millionaire comparison. This is a sporting competition. A somewhat equal footing between teams is key. You can’t have fans giving up before a ball is pitched. I don’t think the end result of who wins matters that much. The important factor with the inequality is how many are starting with a realistic chance.
fopp – There’s never been equal footing in baseball, and yet it’s somehow survived for 150 years. Draft order, 6 years of team control, revenue sharing all are just some of the things that have been implemented to give the smaller market teams a better chance of competing.
Do I wish every team had the same chance? Sure, but it’s just not realistic when one market is LA and the other is Pittsburgh or Tampa or KC.
As a Red Sox fan, I think the Dodgers are SAVING baseball and hopefully they’re pushing the league towards a salary floor… It’s needed a lot more than a salary cap, the reality is that theres 20+ baseball ownerships that are actively destroying baseball by being such maniacal greedy goblins.
Both are needed.
There will not be a salary floor without a salary cap. Owners will never go for a floor. On paper a floor sounds cool. Force smaller teams to be “in the bidding” But it really means they pay more for lesser players. So a guy who might normally get 2 million, gets 3 million. Its the same guy and only benefits the player. the smaller teams will still not be able or willing to bid heavily for some Boras client. Its unrealistic. A floor pushes lesser players salaries higher while the next Soto/Ohtani can pick up 700-800 million.
The MLB owners can force a lockout in 2027 until an agreement is reached. The NHL owners did the same thing to force a salary cap.
They would be fools to lose games. Lockout in the off-season? Sure.
Most here probably don’t remember the last time baseball lost games. It didn’t go well at all for the sport overall.
Took forever to rebuild the fan base.
2020 wasn’t that long ago.
Any successful league with a salary cap also has a floor.
There is a huge difference in COVID restrictions and a millionaires vs billionaires fighting about money.
1994 CBA missed season cost MLB immensely for a decade after. Fans walked away and boycotted. Some never came back.
At this moment when their viewership and team values are increasing, a protracted work stop that loses too many games would be catastrophic to the game itself.
I encourage anyone who wants to understand the impact of what might happen to look up the 1994 work stoppage and the effects of it.
It took outrageous home run races to bring some of the luster back to MLB. Which is why steroids weren’t really an issue during that time. Once the attendance and viewership was back MLB cracked down on peds.
There’s also a difference between billionaires and millionaires fighting over money like last time and the ever widening income disparity which is destroying the game in flyover country.
The average age of the baseball fan is over 50 for a reason.
robw…why do you assume that imposing a floor will motivate the cheap teams to spend more on bad players?? Why would a low payroll team want bad players on their roster??
The luxury tax penalties act as a de facto cap and they can be strengthened during the next CBA negotiation.
Which major league owners will be incentivized to go “all in” on a cap?? We can probably count on two hands: Nutting, Moreno, Fisher, Rheinsdorf, Pohlads, Marlins owner, Cleveland owner, Kansas City owner (maybe), Milwaukee owner (maybe), Tampa Bay owner. That ain’t enough of a constituency to force any sort of lockout. These cheap a$$ owners will be placated in other ways, likely increased revenue sharing but with a floor.
Look at the Luis Severino contract. The As were pressured to spend and they gave a mediocre pitcher way more money than anyone else would. I don’t think it will be an endemic problem but there’s proof it could happen.
It shows bad ownership will do the very minimum needed to protect their own financial interests.
Instead of adding multiple pieces to really help the team, they just spent on one token big ticket item that covered their payroll discrepancy.
Change anything you want in the CBA. It won’t change the owners level of interest.
The rankings of MLB teams by major league payroll generally line up closely with their rankings by estimated revenue. (The Mets under Cohen are a notable exception that spend *way* above where they rank in revenue.)
A salary floor/cap system with greater revenue sharing could make sense. Players are strongly opposed to a cap, though, and more revenue sharing would be a big dispute between owners of teams in different size markets.
Devil would be in the details. A logical revenue sharing system should still keep incentives for teams to do well on both the baseball and business sides in generating more revenue from their respective markets. But that’s in tension with the reality that, no matter how well run, teams in most MLB markets won’t be able to generate local market revenue anywhere close to the Dodgers and Yankees.
The ongoing decline of the RSN business model could be what ultimately pushes owners toward more revenue sharing by restructuring how they handle local market TV/streaming rights (including the current structure of blackout areas with complicated in-market/out-of-market rules).
The salary floor is a waste of time unless there is a salary cap. A floor would force low layroll teams to pay the same scrubs more money. They wont be bidding for Scott Boras 400 million-800 million dollar men.
Their payroll will grow in 2026. they wont stay as is.
Yates, Conforto, Kershaw, and probably a couple others come off the books.
Scherzer pitched great in game 7.
They got 5 wins from him. He will want 15 million. Is he worth the hassle? He stands up and he is hurt. Way past his prime. Cohen knew a few yrs ago that Max fooled him. The guy is going to be 42.
Time for the Yanks to finally swoop in.
Yankees are probably going to need more than Max Scherzer though. Max Fried is the modern Clayton Kershaw. Great in the regular season, awful in the postseason.
Tha Yankees? They dont want a 42 yr old starter who is hurt most of the year and got 5 wins on a World Series team. What did Rodon do in the playoffs. That guy makes megabucks. Will Cole turn out to be a payroll bandit like Max? The guy is hurt for a year and demands more money.
Well he would probably be better than Max Fried in the playoffs, even at 42.
He will probably say his back hurts. Time has caught up to him.
A five-year “show me” contract should do it. /s
Wow the Yankees could have twice the Max.
Now if only the Dodgers could get Max Muncy from the Sacramento A’s.
Sounds like an AA type move at that price if he can’t find “value” in more viable options with all that “dry powder” they have.
Veteran Pitchers can sit on the disabled list for a contender until needed in August at discounted price for the rich teams,
Dodgers may have had the highest payroll. However, Toronto had chances to win this year. It’s definitely a difficult ending for a Blue Jays fan. Donnie, you were close to that ring.
mlb – I don’t think many people are aware of The Mattingly Curse.
He played for the Yanks from 1982-1995
The Yanks made it to the WS in 1981, then they missed the postseason from 1982-1994.
In his final year as a player, the Yanks finally made the postseason and lost in the ALDS. The following year the Yanks won the WS.
So the Yanks were in the WS the year before his MLB debut, and they won the WS the year after his final season, but did basically nothing during his entire playing career. Talk about cursed!
That’s like the report I saw that none of the past 11 WS champs have clinched at home. Guess you don’t need home filed to win it all. Baseball, man.
He only has himself to blame. Refusing to shave his sideburns is not a curse.
Scott is that you? I know you use Max as a tool to talk union stuff and players association deals. Deals that favor you.
Max, thank you for everything you did with the Jays this season, it was a pleasure watching your intensity on & off the field.
Mo Max, Mo Fun!
He’s foolish if he thinks he’s getting 15.5M in free agency, he couldn’t even get to 20 starts. I think he’ll get 8-10M then incentives if he can somehow someway make 30 starts, but that’ll be asking a lot
15.5 is his floor. the guy is the ultimate payroll bandit. Out for much of the year. He got 5 wins with a 5 ERA. MLB starting pitchng is desperate. Let the Yankees make a move for Sandy Alcantra. Low money for his age.
Which is exactly why I think he’ll get to 5-8M a year if he’s lucky with a ton of incentives. Payroll bandit? You’re on the money with that. He’ll sneeze with warm up pitches and go on the IL
As a Jays fan his two World Series starts were worth every penny of his contract.
In what reality did the Astros make the postseason?
“The Cubs, Padres, Red Sox, and Astros all made the postseason this year and have already been linked to the starting pitching market.”
He has the SF Giants getting ready to sign him…he’s good friends with Tony Vitello
Max is good friends with Vitello. Giants looking for shorter term contracts. It makes some sense.
Dude gave up 19 HR’s in 85 IP and batters hit .262/.313/.497 off him. Would be a great move for Posey and co.
Sure. Max and Verlander. Great.
Crazy eye reupping
Yeah, could see him go to 65.
How about Scherzer and Verlander to Detroit for a year to pair with Skubal.
Dream on?
Cardinals may be interested; Scherzer was interested six years ago, but St. Louis was too cheap. St. Louis is where he grew up and attended high school. It would put some fans in the seats and have some veteran leadership. Owners went cheap about 5 years ago, Milwaukee is getting its money’s worth!
New York Mets, $323,099,999
Los Angeles Dodgers, $321,287,291
New York Yankees, $293,488,972
Philadelphia Phillies, $284,210,820
Toronto Blue Jays, $239,642,532
Texas Rangers, $220,541,332
Houston Astros, $220,217,813
Atlanta Braves, $214,836,398
San Diego Padres, 208,909,333
Chicago Cubs, $196,288,250
Arizona Diamondbacks, $195,294,235
Boston Red Sox, $193,629,093
Los Angeles Angels, $190,508,096
San Francisco Giants, $173,019,524
Baltimore Orioles, $162,314,278
Seattle Mariners, $146,793,414
Detroit Tigers, $143,193,033
Minnesota Twins, $142,762,022
St. Louis Cardinals, $141,455,581
Kansas City Royals, $130,001,503
Colorado Rockies, $120,693,976
Cincinnati Reds, $115,466,833
Milwaukee Brewers, $115,136,227
Washington Nationals, $107,653,761
Cleveland Guardians, $100,522,729
Pittsburgh Pirates, $87,645,246
Chicago White Sox, $82,279,825
Tampa Bay Rays, $79,216,312
Athletics, $73,118,981
Miami Marlins, $67,412,619
Dodgers may have won again but they are no juggernaut. Most world series the better team wins but they are kidding themselves if they think they outplayed the Jays.
Lady luck was definitely on their side this WS