5 teams willing to take a shot in the dark on a rapidly aging Max Scherzer in 2025

Max Scherzer has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since he came up in 2008 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over his 17-year career, Mad Max owns a career 3.16 ERA, has collected 3,405 strikeouts (10th most all-time), and won three Cy Young Awards riding the Hall of Fame highway. Even more impressive, he has the highest strikeout rate of any pitcher in MLB history with 10.66 K/9. But how is he doing today?

Scherzer is currently on the 15-day IL with right shoulder fatigue. While he is expected to return to the Rangers before the season is over, Texas has now fallen out of contention. Scherzer owns a 3.89 ERA this season after having pitched only 39.1 innings. So, what’s next for Max Scherzer? According to him, it’s more pitching.

Scherzer will be turning 41 next year in July and fully intends to pitch. Over recent years, Scherzer has been no stranger to injuries, which have severely hampered his playing time. The velocity of his fastball has also decreased, though not very dramatically, it is still noticeable. However, this is not the time for Scherzer to gracefully ride off into the sunset. He doesn’t want to end his career on a low note.

Like the warrior Mad Max is, we will see him fight through the ravages of age and injury to give it his all on the mound once more hoping to take another team into the postseason. But with age and injury comes risk. Should a team ink Scherzer just to have him fall injured when they need him the most, that would be money spent for nothing. Even so, Scherzer is one of the all-time greats. The risk-reward proposition may still be favorable for the right price. With that said, which teams could use Scherzer?

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5. Scherzer could start and finish his career with the D-Backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks upset the NL behemoths last year, earning the right to battle the Texas Rangers in the World Series. Next year, there is a chance Scherzer could be switching uniforms back to his first MLB team.

The Diamondbacks have suffered several injuries to their pitching staff this season. But even with their rotation back at full strength, it still isn’t as great as anyone expected it to be. The lowest ERA for a starter on the team is 3.85 owned by Zac Gallen (not including Merrill Kelly’s 3.63 ERA through 34.2 innings).

Brandon Pfaadt hasn’t been the dynamo we witnessed in last year’s postseason, Jordan Montgomery seems to have fallen apart, and with Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez having been injured for most of the season, the various replacements have all disappointed. The D-Backs currently maintain a team ERA of 4.46, making them 25th in team ERA.

In all likelihood, the D-Backs will have a reliable pitching staff next year with their starters healthy. A pursuit for a starting pitcher by the D-Backs would be out of caution as their rotation is full of question marks. Next season, Scherzer should be available at a much lower cost than his previous contracts making him more of a budget option for a team that needs pitching help. In that aspect, Scherzer just might be what the D-Backs are looking for.

4. Inking Scherzer could be a smart move for the Cleveland Guardians

Speaking of shots in the dark, the Guardians have already done that at the trade deadline. Cleveland traded for Alex Cobb before he threw a single pitch this season. If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that the Guardians will be on the lookout for anything with quality that won’t break the bank. Enter Max Scherzer.

The Guardians only have two starters with ERAs below 5.00 this season. With Shane Bieber (on the IL for the season), Alex Cobb, and Carlos Carrasco hitting the open market, the Guardians will be in search of starting pitching. Seeing as how Cleveland isn’t risk-averse and they’ll take anything that doesn’t cost an arm or a leg, Max Scherzer might be a perfect fit.

The Guardians currently boast a team ERA of 3.73, sixth best in the MLB. While it looks good on the surface, this great ERA stems from their excellent relief corps. Even with a weak rotation and a rather shallow lineup, the Guardians are poised for a postseason run. If their current rotation can bring them this far, Scherzer, supposing he can stay healthy, could definitely provide the Guardians a much-needed boost.

3. Scherzer could spearhead a comeback season for the Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays spent years building a core they thought would compete for a championship. Now, the two centerpieces of that core, Vladdy and Bo Bichette, will be in the last year of their contracts next season and the Blue Jays are in no position to compete. But Ross Atkins hasn’t yet thrown in the towel. He intends to build a contender by next year. But there are a number of questions to address.

It isn’t clear whether Bo Bichette will be a Blue Jay next year, but Vladdy will. Vladdy is one player they want to keep long term. Somewhere in the discussion, Atkins needs to strike a balance. How can the Blue Jays extend Guerrero Jr and build a contender?

To start, the Blue Jays will need a pitcher who can lead them to the postseason but for the right price. Max Scherzer, seeing as how he isn’t the ace he used to be, could be an option the Blue Jays can pick up on a short-term deal (most likely one year) without spending a wad of cash.

The Blue Jays maintain an ERA of 4.50 as a team, ranking 26th in team ERA. Now that Yusei Kikuchi is gone, the Jays will enter next year sporting a rotation with Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Kevin Gausman, none of which have had great years. With this uncertainty, a starting pitcher should be one of the Blue Jays’ priorities.

2. Scherzer might make sense for the Red Sox

This trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox set out to fix one key problem they have faced this season: pitching. So, they added James Paxton and a plethora of relievers. Taking on James Paxton with his poor performance this season and his history of injury was already a big risk. And, so far, it was a risk that isn’t going so well. With Paxton hitting free agency this offseason, there is another calculated risk they could take.

Max Scherzer could fit seamlessly into the Boston rotation. With only one reliable starting pitcher as of now (Tanner Houck), the Red Sox are in desperate need of another starter. Like with the Guardians, the one thing the Red Sox told us by taking on James Paxton was they wanted something affordable, but with exceptional talent that might produce a deep postseason run for them.

Boston currently maintains a team ERA of 4.15, ranking them 19th in the MLB. With their offense in a strong position, the only thing they need to take a long, hard look at this offseason is pitching.

1. A reunion with the Texas Rangers could be likely

Max Scherzer likes playing with the Rangers. He made that clear when he invoked his no-trade clause in trade discussions. Scherzer is a reigning champion with the Rangers and was hoping for a repeat season this year. While Scherzer’s premise of competing is actively going down the tubes, the Rangers could retool next season and try for another postseason run next year.

With Michael Lorenzen gone as well as Andrew Heaney and Jose Urena entering free agency (Nathan Eovaldi has a $20 million vested option), the Rangers will have a rotation featuring Jacob DeGrom, Jon Gray, and Dane Dunning. The Rangers currently maintain a team ERA of 4.32, ranking 23rd in the MLB, though it may be irrelevant as Scherzer is a part of the team even if he hasn’t pitched much. With the Rangers in need of starting pitching combined with the fact Scherzer likes Texas, the Rangers and Scherzer are an ideal match.