Scherzer’s 2,878 career innings are more than any pitcher who began his career after 2000, with the exception of Scherzer’s former Detroit Tigers colleague Justin Verlander, who is the only active pitcher with a career comparable to Scherzer’s. Verlander was also a free agent this summer, and he signed with the San Francisco Giants.
Scherzer: “I still believe I can pitch at a high level.”
Scherzer believes he can return to the mound in 2025 and regain his old form, and the New York Yankees may agree.
“I still think I can pitch at a high level here. There’s nothing keeping me from doing that,” Scherzer said late last season, which was cut short when he was placed on the disabled list with a hamstring strain after nerve troubles and his ongoing rehab from back surgery limited his time on the mound earlier in the year.
Scherzer has been working at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which hosted a “pro day” earlier this week. Scherzer threw a bullpen session during the event, with scouts from the Yankees and several other teams in attendance to judge his readiness to return to the major leagues. According to SI.com Mets beat reporter Pat Ragazzo, the scouts “liked what they saw.”
According to Ragazzo’s account, observers from the Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs were all present at the Florida facility to see Scherzer on the mound.
Scherzer Likely to Seek an 8-Figure Contract.
How much would Scherzer cost? Before the 2022 season, the 37-year-old righty signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets. In the middle of 2023, the Mets opted to reduce their budget and traded Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, agreeing to cover around $31 million of his $43.3 million contract in 2024.
There is no chance the Yankees or anyone else will give Scherzer anywhere near $30 million. Using Verlander’s one-year, $15 million contract with the Giants as a baseline, but taking Scherzer’s recent injury-prone past into account, something in the low eight figures for one year appears likely.
Is it worthwhile? We won’t know until Scherzer takes the mound at Yankee Stadium, or wherever he ends up. But one thing is certain: the Yankees will be obtaining a potential Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner, who ranks 11th all-time in strikeouts with 3,407 in his career. His career ERA of 3.16 ranks second among active pitchers with at least 2,000 innings. His strikeout rate of 10.7 per nine innings pitched is fifth all-time, but tops among pitchers with at least 2,000 innings.
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