It wasn’t much of a mystery what kind of contract Scherzer would command after fellow veteran right-handers Alex Cobb, Charlie Morton and Justin Verlander all inked one-year, $15M pacts earlier this winter, but it took a while for Scherzer’s potential landing spots to crystalize. Ultimately, the Blue Jays emerged as the strongest candidates to secure the future Hall of Famer’s services, and a deal came together less than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
Having already addressed their needs for power and bullpen help with Anthony Santander and Jeff Hoffman, Toronto has now tabbed Scherzer as their salve for a rotation that also needed reinforcing. Add the December acquisition of second baseman Andrés Giménez to vastly improve the club’s infield defense, and the Jays have upgraded nearly every facet of their club this winter. Extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. remains the most consequential decision facing Toronto this offseason, but the club has unquestionably gotten better across the board this winter.
Have the Jays improved enough to warrant consideration as legitimate postseason contenders coming off a last-place finish in 2024? If Scherzer can stay healthy for a full season, there’s a good bit to be excited about in the rotation, which features three other highly accomplished right-handers in Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt. If Bowden Francis’ surprising second-half breakout from last season was legit, this could end up being one of the stronger units in the American League. However, those are some pretty big “ifs.” Scherzer, who turns 41 in June, made only nine starts in 2023 and has navigated myriad ailments in recent years.
Toronto will still need a lot to go right on both sides of the ball to compete in the unforgiving AL East, but credit to them for pushing aggressively to improve the roster, even after several failed free-agent pursuits earlier in the offseason. — Shusterman
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