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The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the
deal was subject to a successful physical and had not been
announced.
The 41-year-old Scherzer can earn another $10 million in
performance bonuses.
Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts and 85 innings
for the Blue Jays last season, his 18th in the major leagues.
Then he made three starts in the postseason, beating Seattle 8-2
in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series before
getting the ball twice in the World Series against the Los
Angeles Dodgers.
The right-hander pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball in Game 7
and left to a rousing ovation from fans in Toronto, but the Blue
Jays lost 5-4 in 11 innings.
Scherzer signed a $15.5 million, one-year contract with Toronto
in February 2025. A free agent again this winter, he's set to
rejoin the Blue Jays and provide even more depth for a strong
rotation expected to feature some combination of Dylan Cease,
Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, José
Berríos and Eric Lauer.
“He’s not afraid to question baserunning, question defense,
question offense. He still thinks he’s our best baserunner on
the team from his days with the Nationals,” Blue Jays manager
John Schneider said about Scherzer last fall. “He’s not afraid
to push the envelope. He’s not afraid to be curious. He’s not
afraid to share things that he’s been through that maybe I
haven’t been through.”
Scherzer has won two World Series titles, with Washington in
2019 and Texas in 2023. The eight-time All-Star is 221-117 with
a 3.22 ERA for the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Nationals, Dodgers,
Mets, Rangers and Blue Jays.
He ranks 11th on the career list with 3,489 strikeouts — 20
behind Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.
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