Max Scherzer providing crucial rotation insurance when it suddenly became necessary

While the Jays were losing Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer to free agency, they countered by bringing in Dylan Cease on a franchise-record-breaking free agent deal and also added KBO MVP Cody Ponce to provide some additional insurance to the core group. Suddenly, manager John Schneider had an embarrassment of riches to choose from for his starting rotation, both with the recent additions and the internal crop of arms that could start for the Jays.

Suddenly, that embarrassment of riches was being tested, and Opening Day is still a couple of weeks away.

The Blue Jays knew Francis, Bieber, and Tiedemann’s issues before the club brought back Scherzer on a one-year deal on March 2nd, and the club appears to have had Yesavage’s program in mind heading into the new year, unbeknownst to us on the sidelines. But the Berrios news is a bit of a new development that could go in a variety of directions depending on the upcoming consultation.

The offseason philosophy of adding starters was still at the forefront with the Scherzer signing, and at the time, it was going to be tough to see how the Jays were going to manage the rotation given all the options – somebody was essentially going to have their feelings hurt and be moved to the bullpen.

Not Scherzer, though – he’s already firing on all cylinders.

Through two spring outings, the right-hander has yet to allow an earned run while also limiting opponents to a .074 average across 8 2/3 innings.

In his first outing against Philadelphia, he went four innings and didn’t allow a hit or run across just 40 pitches. He was effective in his pitch placement, walking just one batter, and while he wasn’t striking out batters left and right, he was keeping the pitch count down and letting his defence work behind him.

Scherzer then added to his impressive spring by keeping the Detroit Tigers at bay earlier today, striking out five with just two walks and two hits allowed – another clean sheet in the runs column. He was sitting in the 94-95 MPH range with his fastball, and his offspeed pitches were working well, including getting Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle to chase a curveball down in the dirt for a swinging K.

When the Jays signed Scherzer, it wasn’t to have him in the bullpen (not that Scherzer would tolerate that move) – it was for him to start games, regardless of how the Jays’ coaching staff figures out the rotation picture. With the injuries and delayed starts becoming an increasing number in camp, having even more insurance in Scherzer might just be a saving grace that the front office likely didn’t know they needed heading into the new calendar year.

Baseball is a funny game that way. Injuries can really derail a season, and not having a plan in place to supplement lost players can make things go south in a hurry, especially in the juggernaut AL East. Could Eric Lauer, Adam Macko, and Cody Ponce provide that stopgap needed for the Jays’ rotation with the recent onslaught of injuries? Possibly, but why risk testing the depth when an arm like Scherzer was available, a move the Blue Jays front office agreed with at the end of the day.

Max Scherzer might not be the same guy that fans saw during his dominant 2010s stretch, but his veteran presence both on and off the field might just be a saving grace that Jays fans didn’t know they needed this season. Given all the different curveballs and hurdles that have been thrown towards the Jays’ pitching corps, having Scherzer in the mix is just that extra insurance the club needs heading into a season where they are looking to win it all after being so close to a World Series championship in 2025.

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