TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins says the arrival of veteran pitcher Max Scherzer will have an impact on and off the field.
But Atkins, also the Jays executive vice-president of baseball operations, says the 40-year-old Scherzer brings more than three Cy Young Awards, two World Series wins and a slew of other accolades.
"There aren't many people in the game that have more than Max does," he said. "It's not about that. It's about how he got to the accomplishments … When someone has an elite level of competitiveness, that raises the bar for others. It is something in professional sport that is hard to quantify but you can certainly feel it."
"He's going to raise the bar for all of us here and that certainly includes me," he added.
Scherzer, an eight-time all-star who has signed a one-year US$15.5-million contract with the Jays, is coming off an injury-disrupted season with Texas but says he is right where he needs to be ahead of spring training.
"I've had a very good off-season so far. I've been able to do everything normally. I'm looking to come into spring training at full tilt," he told a virtual availability Friday.
And he believes he has lots to offer the Jays.
"I still feel like I can pitch at a very high level. I can still compete at a high level," he said. "And be part of a championship-calibre team. And so for me, that's so much fun. I love being able to go out there and pitch, love being able to compete.
"I kind of put all the accolades and all that kind of stuff in the rear-view mirror and just focus on what can I do this year. What more can I do this year and just go out there and continue to win."
Scherzer welcomed the chance to return to the East Coast, saying it makes it easy to commute to the family home in Florida where his kids are in school.
And Toronto offers "a chance to compete to win."
"I'm not just playing to play. I want to play to win at the end of the day. So I really feel like Toronto offered that."
He also got some positive intel on the franchise from Chris Bassitt, a former teammate with the Mets, and others.
The six-foot-three right-hander slots into a likely Toronto starting rotation of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Bassitt and Bowden Francis.
Scherzer's career record is 216 wins and 112 losses with a 3.16 ERA and 3,407 strikeouts in a long and winding MLB road that saw previous stops with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Texas Rangers.
Scherzer was traded to the Rangers in July 2023 by the Mets, who signed him to a three-year, US$140-million contract. His previous deal was a seven-year, US$210-million contract with Washington before the 2015 season.
His career includes World Series wins with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023.
Scherzer opened last season on the injured list after off-season back surgery. He ended up making just nine starts for the Rangers, posting a 2-4 record with a 3.95 earned-run average before his season ended in September when he was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain.
At the time, he called it "probably the most frustrating season of my career."
It marked his fewest starts in a full season since his 2008 rookie year (seven starts, 16 total games).
Last month, Toronto announced the arrival of Venezuelan all-star outfielder Anthony Santander, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, on a five-year US$92.5-million contract.
Other additions are right-hander Jeff Hoffman, formerly with Cleveland, on a three-year, US$33-million contract, second baseman Andrés Giménez, right-hander Nick Sandlin and outfielder Myles Straw (all via trade from Cleveland), and left-hander Josh Walker, who divided last season between the Mets and Pittsburgh, on a one-year US$760,000 contract.
Right-hander Yimi García, who split last season between Toronto and Seattle, returns on a two-year, US$15-million contract.
"We are very confident that this is a very good group of players that we look forward to jelling and look forward to winning a lot of baseball games," said Atkins.
Toronto finished last in the American League East last season at 74-88.
Scherzer ranks second among active pitchers in strikeouts (3,416), innings pitched (2,878), wins (216) and starts (457).
He stands 11th in MLB history in strikeouts, one of only 19 pitchers who have reached the 3000-career strikeout mark. His nine career seasons with 200-plus strikeouts trail only Nolan Ryan (15), Randy Johnson (13), Roger Clemens (12), and Tom Seaver (10) for the most in MLB history.
The St. Louis native was taken in the first round of the 2006 draft by Arizona, making his MLB debut for the Diamondbacks in 2008.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
