Mad Max has officially put pen to paper. 
Veteran right-hander Max Scherzer passed his physical Tuesday with the Toronto Blue Jays before officially signing his one-year, $15.5-million contract, as the club announced.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the team has designated fellow righty Michael Petersen for assignment, creating an open spot for Scherzer. He was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins in November.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Excitement to the MAX 🗣
OFFICIAL: We&#8217;ve signed 8x All-Star, 3x Cy Young Award Winner, and 2x World Series Champion Max Scherzer to a contract for the 2025 season! <a href="https://t.co/ivwBkQurCS">pic.twitter.com/ivwBkQurCS</a>
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1886927980884033691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
Petersen made 16 relief appearances in the majors last season, 11 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and five with the Marlins, who snatched him off the waiver wire in early September. Overall, the 30-year-old reliever pitched to a 5.95 ERA and 5.56 FIP with 14 strikeouts across 19.2 combined innings.
The Middlesex, U.K., native flourished with the Dodgers&#8217; triple-A affiliate before heading to South Beach, posting a flashy 1.64 ERA, 2.29 FIP and a 28.8-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference (K-BB%) in 33 innings over 35 appearances. He also recorded 10 saves, garnering attention because of his high-90s four-seamer &#8212; which featured a 97.1-m.p.h. average fastball velocity in 2024, placing in the 92nd percentile.
Petersen&#8217;s arsenal also includes a high-80s cutter, changeup and a mid-80s slider.
For Scherzer, his deal with Toronto includes a full no-trade clause, providing him 100 per cent control should the franchise become sellers ahead of this season&#8217;s trade deadline.
The 40-year-old&#8217;s contract also features salary incentives, as the <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1886919335509205256" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post&#8217;s Jon Heyman detailed.</a> Here&#8217;s the official breakdown for the Boras Corporation client:
<ul>
<li>$150,000 for winning the AL Cy Young Award; $125,000 for second place, $100,000 for third, $75,000 for fourth, $50,000 for fifth</li>
<li>$50,000 for an All-Star selection</li>
<li>$50,000 for winning an AL Gold Glove</li>
<li>$25,000 for winning ALCS MVP</li>
<li>$50,000 for winning World Series MVP</li>
</ul>

Mad Max has officially put pen to paper. 

Veteran right-hander Max Scherzer passed his physical Tuesday with the Toronto Blue Jays before officially signing his one-year, $15.5-million contract, as the club announced.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the team has designated fellow righty Michael Petersen for assignment, creating an open spot for Scherzer. He was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins in November.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Excitement to the MAX 🗣
OFFICIAL: We've signed 8x All-Star, 3x Cy Young Award Winner, and 2x World Series Champion Max Scherzer to a contract for the 2025 season! <a href="https://t.co/ivwBkQurCS">pic.twitter.com/ivwBkQurCS</a>

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1886927980884033691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
Petersen made 16 relief appearances in the majors last season, 11 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and five with the Marlins, who snatched him off the waiver wire in early September. Overall, the 30-year-old reliever pitched to a 5.95 ERA and 5.56 FIP with 14 strikeouts across 19.2 combined innings.

The Middlesex, U.K., native flourished with the Dodgers' triple-A affiliate before heading to South Beach, posting a flashy 1.64 ERA, 2.29 FIP and a 28.8-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference (K-BB%) in 33 innings over 35 appearances. He also recorded 10 saves, garnering attention because of his high-90s four-seamer -- which featured a 97.1-m.p.h. average fastball velocity in 2024, placing in the 92nd percentile.

Petersen's arsenal also includes a high-80s cutter, changeup and a mid-80s slider.

For Scherzer, his deal with Toronto includes a full no-trade clause, providing him 100 per cent control should the franchise become sellers ahead of this season's trade deadline.

The 40-year-old's contract also features salary incentives, as the <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1886919335509205256" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post's Jon Heyman detailed.</a> Here's the official breakdown for the Boras Corporation client:
<ul>
 	<li>$150,000 for winning the AL Cy Young Award; $125,000 for second place, $100,000 for third, $75,000 for fourth, $50,000 for fifth</li>
 	<li>$50,000 for an All-Star selection</li>
 	<li>$50,000 for winning an AL Gold Glove</li>
 	<li>$25,000 for winning ALCS MVP</li>
 	<li>$50,000 for winning World Series MVP</li>
</ul>

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