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Max Scherzer prioritized returning to Blue Jays in free agency
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Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Thomas Hall
Feb 27, 2026, 11:30 ESTUpdated: Feb 27, 2026, 11:56 EST
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In the aftermath of the Toronto Blue Jays’ heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Max Scherzer — who started the final game of his club’s magical 2025 season — stood in front of reporters and profoundly claimed, “There’s no way that was my last pitch.”
And, in typical Max Scherzer fashion, he was right.
The 41-year-old starter will indeed throw another pitch, likely several more, in fact, after returning to the Blue Jays on a one-year, incentive-laden contract worth at least $3 million.
As Scherzer told Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Thursday, his determination to return for his 19th major-league season never wavered over the off-season. Given the quick turnaround after playing into November, the three-time Cy Young winner didn’t really have much time to reconsider anyway before having to begin preparing for the 2026 campaign.
Heading into the off-season, Scherzer wasn’t exactly sure how his free-agent market would unfold, though he knew wherever he went, it’d have to be the right fit, as he had planned to be “very picky with where I wanted to play.”
In the end, things worked out exactly as he wanted them to — winding up back with the Blue Jays.
“Obviously, Toronto was definitely a team I wanted to come back to and join,” Scherzer said. “Absolutely loved all the guys and what we did last year. It was a great fit not just for myself, but for my family as well.”
Scherzer also received a bit of extra motivation to return to the Blue Jays after seeing the heartfelt letter that his daughter, Brooke, wrote to the team in December, which Max’s wife, Erica, posted on social media on Thursday.
For all the intense on-field moments that the eight-time All-Star has provided over the past 17-plus years, he couldn’t help but “melt” at his daughter’s request to have the franchise bring him back for another season.
Injuries, of course, forced the Blue Jays to press pause on Scherzer’s season following his debut almost exactly a year ago, stemming from a right thumb ailment that he now has under control and has been managing successfully since last October. That allowed him to be at his best during the post-season, particularly his infamous Game 4 performance against the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS, where he allowed just two runs and struck out five across 5.2 innings.
From there, Scherzer made a pair of starts in the World Series, making his final appearance on Nov. 1. That was the latest he’s ever pitched during a season before, while also achieving that feat during his age-40 campaign. For most, such a workload would’ve surely impacted their off-season routine, but not Scherzer.
He’s been doing this for long enough to know where his body needs to be when the calendar flips to Jan. 1. There are checkpoints along the way that he remains cognizant of during his winter program, which follow him all the way leading up to Day 1 of spring training and Opening Day.
“I’ve had a good off-season. I’ve checked all my boxes of where I need to be, and I’m feeling great,” Scherzer said.
After making 17 regular-season starts a year ago, 16 of which came post-June 25, it’s unclear how many starts Toronto can expect Scherzer to make in 2026. And it’s tough to answer that question when you also aren’t 100 per cent sure how he’ll fit into this extremely crowded rotation picture.
The beauty of signing Scherzer late in February, however, is that the organization doesn’t have to make a definitive decision right now, especially since they already have five healthy MLB-calibre starters — six if you include Eric Lauer, who’ll make his second spring training start on Friday versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
Thanks to the club’s rotation surplus, they can afford to build Scherzer — who’s expected to arrive at the player development complex for his physical this weekend — up slowly in camp, with an eye on having him ready around late April or early May. At that point, we’ll likely have a much better idea as to how he’ll fit into this complex puzzle.
Considering the Blue Jays used 15 different starters last season, 11 if you subtract games opened by relievers, bringing Scherzer back is a low-cost, proactive move for this franchise that’s all-in on contending for a World Series.

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