The Toronto Blue Jays made two major additions to their starting rotation this offseason by signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to multi-year deals.
With Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage also in the mix, the Blue Jays actually have an excess of starting pitcher options. Eric Lauer and José Berrios are also options to start games. Their No. 4 prospect, Ricky Tiedemann, could also be a factor. Given that, there may be no need to re-sign Max Scherzer.
The veteran pitcher has already expressed a desire to keep playing, and could sign on to another one-year deal. He could be a decent addition to many teams, but FanSided’s Matthew Sookram predicted he would sign with the San Francisco Giants.
“Their new manager, Tony Vitello, is Scherzer’s long-time friend, stemming from Vitello’s time as Scherzer’s pitching coach at the University of Missouri,” Sookram wrote of the Giants. “That, and the fact that the Giants could use another veteran on their staff, make the stars align for Scherzer to head out west.”
The Giants could use some starting pitching, and Scherzer could slot into the middle or back of their rotation. He dealt with injuries last season and posted a 5.19 ERA in the regular season. However, he did end up being a great player for the Blue Jays in the postseason.
He made three postseason starts, allowing just six earned runs total. He took the ball in Game 7 of the World Series and gave the Blue Jays 4 1/3 innings, allowing just one run. He exited the game with a 3-1 lead, but the Blue Jays would ultimately go on to win. He could have a decent season pitching at Oracle Park, which is one of the more pitcher-friendly venues in baseball.
Scherzer will be a Hall of Famer one day, but for now, the 18-year veteran wants to keep pitching. He is a three-time Cy Young Award winner, eight-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion.
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