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 resume, Scherzer made a point of connecting with everyone on the team: hitters and pitchers, as well as veterans and rookies.
“He was just Max,” Davis 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 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.”
“Glad we were able to work out a deal,” manager John Schneider added. “We know him and he can still help us win games. All the other stuff he does, too, everyone appreciates. I appreciate it. Hopefully he passes a physical and we’re looking forward to having him.”
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 there's no need to rush Scherzer into readiness. If he debuts a few weeks into the season, that’s likely fine with the Blue Jays, who have six healthy rotation candidates as-is.
Yet nothing is being ruled out for Scherzer, who has already been throwing bullpen sessions and live BP sessions.
“We’ll see,” the manager said. “He’s keeping himself ready, so we’ll have to sit down, look at what the rest of the calendar for spring looks like and go from there. One of the things we do know about him is he’s very particular about routines, so we’ll hash that out when he gets here.”
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 first 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 when he reports to Blue Jays camp sometime this weekend. Yet someone familiar with the team's plans said everyone – Scherzer included – has been told that this will be a meritocracy. If Scherzer struggles, he won't be guaranteed a rotation spot.
“I wish I could keep everybody happy,” the manager said. “Their play, their performance dictates it, and everyone’s a big boy. They understand where we’re at.”
For now, the move increases the likelihood that Eric Lauer will be used out of the bullpen in the regular season, though the left-hander continues to stretch out as a starting pitcher with his next start slated for Friday. The Blue Jays have kept in touch with Lauer and others this week to inform them of the pending Scherzer deal and what it might mean.
“We all have the same goal in mind,” John Schneider said. “We’re focusing on who are the best five at any given time. I think when you start looking over your shoulder or counting bodies, that’s when you get into trouble. And that includes Max. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
As of Thursday, the Blue Jays’ starting pitching mix breaks down like this:
Rotation
Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Trey Yesavage (workload will be monitored carefully)
José Berríos
Cody Ponce
Injured List
Shane Bieber (currently long tossing)
Max Scherzer (timeline TBD)
Bullpen
Eric Lauer
Minor-League Depth
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.
“There’s no perfect science to it,” John Schneider said. “However you fit it, you fit it. When you’re a really good team, sometimes you have to have tough decisions or conversations. I think everyone understands that. We went through it last year. You just see what you have when you have it and you take your best options.”
The Blue Jays aren’t expected to open the year with a six-man rotation, but they could employ one later as needed.
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,” Davis 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.”
