Max Scherzer provides insight on MLB future
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2026, 06:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 8, 2026, 14:57 EST
Max Scherzer might not be hanging up the cleats just yet.
This past weekend, Scherzer told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that he will pitch in “lockout games” before determining if he will return for a 20th season in 2027.
Scherzer returned for his second season with the Toronto Blue Jays and 19th overall on March 2, when he signed a one-year, $3-million contract.
Across 18 starts, Scherzer went 4-9 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The right-hander struck out 68 batters across 84.2 innings pitched, and limited opponents to a .240 batting average during that span.
For the third straight season, Scherzer dealt with injuries that limited him to fewer than 20 starts. Scherzer first went on the 15-day injured list on April 27 due to right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation, and after rehabbing, he returned on June 10. Unfortunately for Scherzer, his return lasted only one start before he headed back to the 15-day IL on June 17.
After missing over a month with back spasms, Scherzer was reinstated for a start against the Washington Nationals on July 27, his 42nd birthday. Scherzer got into a nice groove after returning from the IL, highlighted by a 3.62 ERA across six starts in August.
Scherzer’s most iconic moment of the 2026 campaign came during his final start, an outing in which he threw on three days of rest. On September 27 against the Cincinnati Reds, Scherzer turned in a pitching line of 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, and picked up the win during a 5-1 Blue Jays victory.
After allowing a leadoff walk to Oswaldo Cabrera to open the top of the eighth inning, bringing Scherzer’s pitch count to 114, manager John Schneider pulled the future Hall of Famer in favour of Mason Fluharty, which drew a standing ovation from a sellout crowd at Rogers Centre.
While a return to Toronto may not be in the cards for 2027, Scherzer touched on just how special it was to experience playing for the Blue Jays.
“Being a Blue Jay here, it’s been great. I’ve had so much fun,” Scherzer said. “I tell everybody across the league how much this is a hidden gem playing for the Blue Jays, and you don’t know until you experience it.”
As things currently stand, Scherzer sits ninth on the all-time strikeouts list with 3,557, three behind former teammate Justin Verlander. A return would ensure Scherzer passes Verlander and gives him a strong chance at catching Don Sutton, who sits seventh with 3,574.
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