Blue Jays ‘appear to be the most serious’ among potential Max Scherzer suitors: report

The Mets and Yankees were both reportedly among the clubs who took in Max Scherzer’s throwing session in Florida last week, but it sounds like another AL East team could be the frontrunner to land the future Hall of Famer.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Toronto Blue Jays “appear to be the most serious” potential suitor for Scherzer, with a source telling Feinsand that the Jays “have been hot for him for about two months.”

Feinsand notes that most expect Scherzer to land a deal somewhere in the one-year, $15 million range, which is what both Justin Verlander (Giants) and Alex Cobb (Tigers) signed for earlier this offseason.

Scherzer, 40, has struggled to stay healthy since being traded from the Mets ahead of the 2023 deadline. The veteran has made just 17 starts over a season-and-a-half with the Texas Rangers, but he’s been effective when healthy, posting a 3.57 ERA in 88.1 innings.

The veteran right-hander is certainly familiar with pitching in New York, as he pitched in 42 regular season games as a Met after signing a three-year, $130 million deal with the team ahead of the 2022 season.

The Mets currently have five definitive members of their starting rotation in Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes. They also have other options like Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning, as well as top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat.

But with Senga coming off of an injury-riddled season and the Mets likely to move to a six-man rotation at some point during the 2025 season, the team could use as much depth as they can get, and reuniting with a playoff-tested veteran like Scherzer could be just what the Mets need as they look to improve on last year’s run to the NLCS.

The Yankees, meanwhile, currently have a rotation consisting of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. And while Marcus Stroman is still on the roster, reports indicate that the Yankees are looking to move on from him, hence the need for more depth.