MLB Rumors: Huge Update On Free Agent Max Scherzer

January 24, 2026 ,
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer reacts during 2025 game.

Max Scherzer is not ready to walk away, but he is also not rushing into the first contract that shows up. 

According to insider Ken Rosenthal, the 41 year old right-hander says he feels healthy and would be willing to wait until after Opening Day if that is what it takes to land with one of his preferred situations. 

Why waiting makes sense for Scherzer right now

The 2025 regular season looked like a tug of war between flashes of the old Max and the reality of age and mileage. 

In 85 innings for Toronto, he posted a 5.19 ERA with a 1.294 WHIP, struck out 82 and walked 23, but also surrendered 19 home runs and a .262/.313/.497 line against in 358 plate appearances. 

A brutal late-season stretch dragged the final line down even further, and he was even left off the ALDS roster, which fueled the “is this the end of the line” conversation. 

Still, he showed up in the World Series with a strong start for the Blue Jays, and the resume is obviously not in question: Scherzer is an eight-time All Star, a three-time Cy Young winner, and a two-time World Series champion, and he has cleared 3,400 career strikeouts. 

The postseason reminder, and what teams might do next

October is what keeps the door open. Scherzer steadied the narrative with 14.1 postseason innings and a 3.77 ERA, and he was the Game 7 starter in the World Series, allowing one run in 4.1 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers completed the comeback. 

There is precedent for veterans signing late to chase the right opportunity, and it only takes one contender to lose a starter in April or May for the phone to start ringing. 

If Scherzer sits tight, he becomes the rare midseason add who can bring playoff experience, strike-throwing, and an edge to a clubhouse, even if he is no longer expected to be a 200-inning ace. 

Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

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