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A handful of teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox, were on hand this week to watch future Hall of Fame pitcher and current free agent Max Scherzer throw at Cressey Sports Performance's pro day.
Pat Ragazzo of On SI reports representatives from those four teams, as well as the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs, were present to watch Scherzer pitch.
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Sources: free agent RHP Max Scherzer threw in front of teams at Cressey Sports Performance’s pro day earlier in the week
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) January 24, 2025
I’m told Scouts liked what they saw: Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Braves, Cubs, Red Sox were among those present
Scherzer has been in…
Scherzer, 40, is looking to pitch in what would be his 18th season in Major League Baseball. The eight-time All-Star began his career back in 2008 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has played for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Dodgers, Mets, and Texas Rangers across his 17-year career.
Scherzer has recently been linked to the Blue Jays as a potential landing spot, but the vast interest from a handful of contenders is definitely a good sign for his free agency.
The fact that the reigning World Series champion Dodgers — who are already planning on re-signing Clayton Kershaw this offseason — are showing interest in Scherzer is extremely interesting. Scherzer was on the Dodgers for a few months in 2021 after they acquired him from the Nationals at the trade deadline.
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Scherzer is coming off a 2024 season with the Rangers in which he made just nine appearances after dealing with multiple injuries.
Scherzer didn't make his 2024 debut until late June after undergoing surgery on a herniated disc in the offseason. He also dealt with thumb soreness, arm fatigue, and nerve issues, as well as a hamstring strain that ended his season early.
In 2023, though, Scherzer made 27 starts across the Rangers and Mets and had a 3.77 ERA across 152.2 innings pitched.
In 2022, he had a 2.29 ERA across 23 starts (145.1 innings pitched). His last All-Star campaign came in 2021 with the Nationals and Dodgers, when he had a 2.46 ERA across 30 starts and finished third in Cy Young voting.
While Scherzer may not be the eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young award pitcher he was earlier in his career, he's still a great option for a team in need of starting pitching depth.
He also shouldn't be too expensive, as Justin Verlander's one-year, $15 million deal with the San Francisco Giants is likely a good comp for Scherzer, who may get a little more money considering Verlander struggled mightily in 2024.
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About the writer
Noah Camras is a Newsweek contributor based in Los Angeles. His focus is on sports content. Noah has been with Newsweek since March ... Read more