The Toronto Blue Jays have been quite active on the starting pitching front in free agency, which certainly raises doubts about Max Scherzer’s prospects to return.

Scherzer, the future Hall of Famer, struggled in his lone regular season with the Blue Jays, posting a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts. But in October, he turned back the clock, giving the Blue Jays three strong starts and pitching well enough to win in a World Series Game 7 extra-innings defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Though the Blue Jays appear to have five viable starting pitchers after the additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce (reported, but not yet official), perhaps there’s a way Scherzer could re-enter the mix. He has not-so-subtly hinted that he’d like to return to Toronto, and there are also whispers about José Berríos being available in trades.

However, if the Blue Jays actually desire a new deal with Scherzer, there could be one obstacle standing in their way as well.

On Thursday, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that “most in the industry,” presumably team executives and/or agents, believe the San Francisco Giants are the other most likely team to acquire the eight-time All-Star Scherzer this winter.

“It sounds like Scherzer would like to return to the Blue Jays if they’ll have him,” Bowden wrote, “but if not, most in the industry believe he’ll end up on a one-year deal with the Giants, as he has a strong personal relationship with their new manager Tony Vitello.”

Vitello was Scherzer’s pitching coach at Missouri before the latter was drafted in the first round in 2006. The Giants hired Vitello straight from college, an unprecedented move that puts a lot of pressure on the 47-year-old to prove he can take on a leadership position among professional players — and having Scherzer’s backing in the clubhouse would almost definitely help in that regard.

Last offseason, Scherzer accepted a one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Blue Jays — just half a million dollars more than the Giants committed to fellow future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. It’s easy enough to foresee San Francisco flipping over Verlander’s salary and spot in the rotation to a pitcher who was his teammate with two other clubs.

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