Max Scherzer is ready to wait.
The future Hall of Famer told The Athletic Thursday that he’s “healthy and ready to sign at any moment if certain teams call.”
That last part is key.
Scherzer, the outlet reported, is willing to let Opening Day pass for a starting spot to open up on one of those unnamed preferred teams.
Scherzer, who turns 42 in July, spent last season with the American League champion Blue Jays, posting a 5.19 ERA over 17 starts.
In the postseason, Scherzer was much better, registering a 3.77 ERA in three outings.
Scherzer got the ball for Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers and looked about as good as he had all season, tossing 4 ⅓ innings while allowing just one run.
In Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Scherzer got the win after going 5 ⅔ innings, holding the Mariners to two runs in an 8-2 Blue Jays victory.
After the World Series, Scherzer made it clear that 2025 wasn’t it for him.
“The only thing I can say is,” Scherzer told reporters after the Blue Jays’ Game 7 loss. “It’s going to take some time to give a full answer to that, but there is no way that was my last pitch.”
After various injuries hampered his 2024 season, Scherzer signed a one-year, $15.5 million deal to come to Toronto in February last year.
Scherzer is one of many big-name free agent starting pitchers, including Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen and Justin Verlander, left on the market with spring training fast approaching.
After Clayton Kershaw’s retirement, Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young winner, now ranks No. 2 among active pitchers with 221 career wins, behind only Verlander’s 266 wins.
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