The Toronto Blue Jays squeezed every last ounce that they could out of Max Scherzer this season.

The 41-year-old was only able to make 17 starts this year while dealing with a litany of hand issues, and has only managed above 25 starts once in the last four years.

But when the playoffs came around, the Blue Jays relied on Scherzer for some of the biggest moments in the postseason. And despite being the fourth-oldest player in the majors this past year, the now free-agent Scherzer is planning to play in 2026, where that’s Toronto or elsewhere.

 

“I’m playing next year. Like, I really believe in my health. I really feel like I’ve really turned a corner. I’m really ready to go. So the playoffs kind of cemented that,” Scherzer told Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill Wednesday on Leafs Morning Take. “Just let the calendar work, and things will always work out.”

Starting Game 7 of the World Series for Toronto, he went 4.1 innings, giving up one earned run and four hits. But in a game that ended up going 11 innings and that featured a combined 13 pitchers, Scherzer’s story became a footnote and not the lede.

And while more than a few plays going the other way for Toronto in Game 7 could have won the World Series for the Blue Jays, Scherzer suggested that overthinking it can “drive you nuts at night.”

He spoke glowingly about his Blue Jays teammates, perhaps suggesting that he’d be open to a return in Toronto.

“I want everybody in that same exact situation, playing the exact same ball. It’s kind of weird to have that happen where you have such a gut-wrenching loss and yet you have the whole team saying, ‘No, we don’t have a problem. We want to go back out there. We’re actually proud of the way we played.'”

The three-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star is all but a lock to head into the Baseball Hall of Fame once he does hang up the cleats.

But with a crowded rotation for next year and the possible concerns about his age and durability, the future remains uncertain for both Scherzer and the Jays, even if he’s still referring to the team as ‘we.’

“You understand the business of this,” he added. “The team’s not going to look the exact same. There’s going to be signings and guys traded… just the way the game operates. But I think from our standpoint, we just want everybody back.”

Lead photo by

Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images