Veteran Max Scherzer is rejoining the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year, $3 million deal, multiple outlets reported early Thursday.
The contract contains incentives totaling $10 million and a no-trade clause, per The Athletic.
Despite bolstering the starting rotation with Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce in the offseason, the Blue Jays still had a pitching need. Shane Bieber has forearm fatigue that has slowed his spring training work and fellow right-hander Bowden Francis is out for the season following Tommy John surgery.
The 41-year-old Scherzer is entering his 19th MLB season and has a career record of 221-117 with a 3.22 ERA in 483 games (474 starts). His 3,489 strikeouts are 11th on the all-time list.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner played for the Blue Jays last season and was 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 85 innings over 17 games (all starts). He made three key starts in the postseason, defeating the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.
In the World Series, he started two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and kept the Blue Jays in both games, despite them turning into extra-inning losses. Overall, he pitched 14 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on 12 hits and striking out 11. His ERA was 3.77.
