DUNEDIN, Fla. – Within a lively Blue Jays clubhouse Thursday morning, Davis Schneider smiled when asked about his newest teammate.
Standing by his locker at the Blue Jays’ player development complex, Schneider was reflecting on the impact Max Scherzer had on the 2025 team that reached the World Series. Though he arrived in Toronto with three Cy Young Awards and two championships on his résumé, Scherzer made a point of connecting with everyone on the team: hitters and pitchers as well as veterans and rookies.
“He was just Max,” Schneider recalled. “He was such a weirdo, to be honest. In a good way. He did his own thing. He did his thing the right way. He worked hard, and he definitely put in the work. I mean he’s 41, about to be 42 and he’s still working hard. I respect him a lot and he brings a lot of energy to the clubhouse.”
Naturally, the agreement with Scherzer leads to a new set of questions about how he fits on the 2026 staff. Eventually, there could be some tough decisions to make but the expectation now is that Scherzer will build up gradually rather than racing to be ready for opening day next month. If he debuts in May rather than March, that’s probably fine with the Blue Jays, who have six healthy rotation candidates as-is.
As of Thursday morning, the Blue Jays still hadn’t announced the deal, which will pay Scherzer $3 million in guaranteed money with another $10 million in incentives, as reported by Sportsnet colleague Shi Davidi. Adding Scherzer to the 40-man roster will require a corresponding move, but that won’t be difficult as both Jake Bloss and Anthony Santander can be shifted to the 60-day injured list to create space.
A lifelong starting pitcher, Scherzer will be expected to build up towards the rotation whenever he reports to Blue Jays camp. That seemingly increases the likelihood that Eric Lauer will be used out of the bullpen in the regular season, though he continues to stretch out as a starting pitcher for the time being with his next start slated for Friday.
As of Thursday, the Blue Jays’ starting pitching mix breaks down like this:
Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Trey Yesavage (workload will be monitored carefully)
José Berríos
Cody Ponce
Shane Bieber (currently long tossing)
Max Scherzer (timeline TBD)
Adam Macko
Lázaro Estrada
Grant Rogers
Chad Dallas
As spring training progresses, this breakdown will shift depending on health and performance, but big-league executives believe there’s no such thing as too much pitching so any perceived logjam will likely resolve itself over time. The Blue Jays aren’t expected to open the year with a six-man rotation, but they could employ one later as needed.
Scherzer started 17 regular-season games for the Blue Jays in 2025, plus three more in the playoffs. In the regular season, he posted a 5.19 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 85 innings, but he did some of his best work in October.
He pitched into the sixth inning in Game 4 of the ALCS, memorably yelling at manager John Schneider on the way to a 5.2 inning performance in which he allowed just two earned runs. He also started two World Series games, including a Game 7 start that saw him allow one run in 4.1 innings.
Notably, Scherzer will earn $3 million, the lowest salary he’s made since 2011 when he was a pre-arbitration eligible player with the Detroit Tigers. By taking this deal, he’s prioritizing an environment he clearly likes and a chance to return to the World Series.
From the Blue Jays’ standpoint, it’s a modest commitment – less than last year’s total base salaries for Spencer Turnbull and Jose Urena, which came in at a combined $3,015,306 for 2025. Viewed from that standpoint, it’s a low-risk chance to add depth and invaluable clubhouse vibes.
“He didn’t shy away from voicing his opinion, which I think is good. ” Schneider said. “Same thing with (Chris) Bassitt, too. It was one of the best duos I’ve ever seen. It’s going to be weird not having Bassitt with Max, but Max is one of a kind.”
