The 2024-2025 MLB offseason is nearing its end, with teams set to start Spring Training in just 15 days. While many free agents began the offseason looking for new contracts and teams, only a small number remain unsigned—many of them top pitchers. Corbin Burnes is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Max Fried has joined the New York Yankees, and Roki Sasaki is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, among other moves.
Of all the pitchers who became free agents this offseason, Max Scherzer has arguably had the best career, with a possible exception. Now 40, Scherzer has battled injuries, limiting him to just 43 1/3 innings last season in his first full year with the Texas Rangers. That was the smallest workload of his 17-year career, even less than his rookie year in 2008 (56 innings) or the shortened 2020 season (67 1/3 innings).
Scherzer has thrown more career innings than any pitcher since 2000, except for his former Detroit Tigers teammate, Justin Verlander—the only active pitcher whose career compares. Verlander, also a free agent this offseason, has signed with the San Francisco Giants.
Scherzer, however, remains confident in his ability to pitch at a high level. “I still believe I can pitch at a high level. There’s nothing stopping me from doing that,” he stated late last season, even after a hamstring injury and his ongoing recovery from back surgery interrupted his year. Scherzer has been training at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he recently participated in a “pro day” event. Scouts from several teams, including the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Braves, and Cubs, were present and reportedly impressed by his performance.
Max Scherzer
As for Scherzer’s price, he previously signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets before the 2022 season. However, after a trade to the Rangers in mid-2023, the Mets agreed to cover part of his 2024 salary. Given his recent injury struggles, Scherzer is unlikely to earn a contract close to the $30 million range. Using Justin Verlander’s one-year, $15 million deal as a reference, Scherzer’s value is expected to fall in the low eight figures for a one-year deal.
Whether it’s worth it will depend on Scherzer’s performance, but one thing is clear: any team that signs him would be adding a future Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner. He currently ranks 11th on the all-time strikeouts list with 3,407 and holds a career ERA of 3.16, which is second among active pitchers with over 2,000 innings. His strikeout rate of 10.7 per nine innings ranks fifth all-time and first among pitchers with 2,000 innings or more.
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