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The Blue Jays finally decided they wanted more depth in their rotation. That's why Max Scherzer is back with the Blue Jays.
He signed a $3 million contract with a no-trade clause and bonuses of up to $10 million on top of his base salary.
How will the bonuses be distributed, you ask? If he pitches 65 innings, he'll get $1 million. If he pitches 75 innings, he'll get another $1 million.
Basically, it will continue to increase like this up to 155 innings pitched. So from the 65-inning plateau, he will earn an additional $1 million for every 10 innings pitched up to the 155-inning plateau.
The performance bonuses in Max Scherzer's one-year, $3M contract with the Blue Jays, according to a source: $1M each for 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145 and 155 innings. Maximum of $10M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 26, 2026
The contract was structured to ensure that he would not be overpaid if he pitched infrequently. However, if he remains healthy and pitches extensively, he will earn up to $13 million in total.
Last year, he pitched 85 innings in the regular season. And in 2024, in Texas, he pitched 43.1 innings. Before that, he was more durable.
So here he is as an insurance policy (in terms of depth) at a good price. And I'm willing to bet that despite his hot temper, a lot of people are happy to see him back in town.
That said, in terms of the rotation, John Schneider will have some decisions to make when everyone is healthy.
For now, only Shane Bieber is guaranteed to start the season on the injured list. That said, the club also wants to take it easy with Trey Yesavage, and Max Scherzer may need time to get up to speed.
But in any case, there are a lot of people at the mass.
When Scherzer is ready to start the season and Shane Bieber has recovered from his forearm discomfort, here are the starters that the @BlueJays will have at their disposal
Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Cody Ponce
Trey Yesavage
Jose Berrios
Eric Lauer
Shane Bieber
Max Scherzer— Denis Casavant (@casavantdenis) February 26, 2026
John Schneider said he wanted to try to make everyone happy, but he understands that there will be some unhappy people. He knows he will have to make decisions in order to try to win.
And if anyone understands that, it's MadMax.
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