The Toronto Blue Jays made waves in the early hours last night, bringing back Max Scherzer on a one-year deal for the 2026 season.

Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that the two sides were speaking about a contract earlier this month, and last night the finishing touches were put on the deal that will pay Scherzer $3 million in base salary, while innings incentives could push the deal up to $10 million.

It’s an interesting contract for the future Hall of Famer, mostly because it’s a low-value deal that will be based more on how many innings he chalks up for Toronto instead of the guaranteed money. It’s fairly low risk for both sides, and will reward Scherzer if he can be a key contributor for the Jays out of the rotation.

Scherzer was vocal this winter about waiting for the right opportunity and the right team to sign with, and even his daughter was hoping that the right-hander would return to the Blue Jays this year.

The structure of Scherzer’s 2026 contract incentives is:

Should Scherzer appear in 155+ innings, he would finish the year at $13 million, which is just a couple million dollars short of what the Jays paid him last year.

Last season, Scherzer made 17 starts for Toronto and finished the year with 85 innings, which would have earned him another cool $3 million if this structure were in place at the time. The right-hander missed a good portion of the first half of the season with a thumb injury and was a key part of the rotation down the stretch, posting a 5.19 ERA and a 4.99 FIP.

Scherzer also made three starts for the Blue Jays in the postseason, including the pivotal Game 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he went 4 1/3 innings with four hits, one earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts in the eventual loss.

Where the right-hander fits into the rotation picture is still murky, as the Jays enter this spring with eight arms who could start games at the big league level. Scherzer likely won’t be ready to go to start Opening Day as he ramps up, but within the first month of the season is when Scherzer should be big league ready.

Shane Bieber will also start the season on the IL, and the club could move one or two names before the season begins, but it’s clear that Toronto’s front office was not too keen on using 15 different pitchers in the first inning last season and brought in some reinforcements for 2026.

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