Max Scherzer Rumors: Blue Jays 'Most Serious' About Contract in MLB Free Agency

The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly very interested in signing a veteran starting pitcher in free agency.

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Blue Jays "appear to be the most serious about signing" Max Scherzer.

"Toronto has been hot for him for about two months," one source said. "[The Blue Jays] certainly feel like the favorites to get him."

Scherzer, 40, has been with the Texas Rangers since 2023 after he was traded midseason from the New York Mets.

His time in Texas saw him deal with a handful of injuries. He suffered a teres major strain in September of 2023, ending his regular season prematurely. He managed to get back on the field for the postseason and appeared in three games as the Rangers won the World Series.

After an offseason back surgery ahead of last season, Scherzer managed a handful of injuries that limited him to just nine games. He posted a 3.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, picking up 40 strikeouts across 43.1 innings.

While the three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn't been at his best recently, a source told Feinsand that he looked good when he threw in front of an unspecified number of teams recently.

"He looked like Max Scherzer," a source said. "His Cy Young days are definitely behind him, but he's still good enough to be an effective starter."

It's hard to say whether Scherzer would turn Toronto into a contender after the Blue Jays missed out on stars such as Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki, but he could certainly bolster a rotation that consists of Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt, among others.

Feindsand noted that veteran pitchers Alex Cobb and Justin Verlander signing one-year deals worth $15 million is a good measuring block for what kind of contract Scherzer could get. A price like that seems to be a figure the Blue Jays are willing to pay to improve the roster further after signing Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman, Yimi García for more than $140 million.