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Scherzer joins a projected rotation that
includes Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt. The Blue
Jays also have Bowden Francis coming off an impressive rookie
season and Yariel Rodríguez, who signed a $32 million, five-year
contract last February.
The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East at 74-88 and haven’t
won a playoff game since they were eliminated by Cleveland in
the 2016 AL Championship Series. They were swept in the
wild-card round in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
The addition of Scherzer marks a second notable move for Toronto
after it finalized a $92.5 million, five-year contract with
outfielder Anthony Santander on Jan. 20.
Scherzer became a free agent after he completed a $130 million,
three-year contract. He agreed to the deal with the New York
Mets in November 2021, but he was traded to Texas in July 2023.
The right-hander won World Series titles with Washington in 2019
and Texas in 2023.
He won his first Cy Young Award when he went 21-3 with a 2.90
ERA in 32 starts for Detroit in 2013. The eight-time All-Star
earned consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with Washington in 2016
and 2017.
Scherzer is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in 466 games over 17
seasons, including 457 starts. He has 3,407 strikeouts in 2,878
innings.
He ranks second among active pitchers in strikeouts, wins and
innings, trailing former teammate Justin Verlander in each
category.
Right-hander Michael Petersen was designated for assignment by
Toronto to open a roster spot.
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