After a strong postseason run with the Toronto Blue Jays, Max Scherzer is now set to hit free agency. Despite entering his age-41 season, the right-hander is still drawing interest across the league.
The San Francisco Giants are now known as one of the teams who could make a run at Scherzer, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. His connection to new head coach Tony Vitello may be the factor that tips the Scherzer sweepstakes into San Francisco's favor.
“Some in the industry expect Scherzer to land with the San Francisco Giants, reuniting with new manager Tony Vitello, his pitching coach at Missouri in the mid-2000s,” Rosenthal wrote. “A return to Toronto also might be an option. Scherzer, like virtually all of the Blue Jays, speaks with great fondness about the unique bonds the players and their families forged last season.”
The Giants have pitchers such as Brandon Webb and Robbie Ray atop their rotation. However, Justin Verlander is set to hit free agency. Furthermore, San Francisco at large ranked 10th in ERA with a 3.82 mark in 2025. While certainly nothing to sneeze at, the Giants likely want a bit more firepower to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 17 starts Scherzer made during the regular season didn't look great. He carried a 5.19 ERA and a 82/23 K/BB ratio. He performed much more admirably in the postseason though, holding the Dodgers to four runs in the almost nine innings pitched. Furthermore, he won his lone start in the ALCS.
Scherzer's legend tells itself though. The Giants or any team won't need much convincing. He is a eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young and two-time World Series champion. The Blue Jays sure wouldn't mind keeping his services. But the Giants are hot on his tail.
