By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Max Scherzer is returning to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Two weeks into spring training, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has agreed with the reigning American League champions on a $3 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press early Thursday.
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, starting with 65 innings pitched.
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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AP Baseball Writers Janie McCauley and Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
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