New front runner has emerged to sign former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer

On Friday, the idea of Scherzer in St. Louis felt like a real possibility after recent reports. MLB.com even floated the «bring him home» angle, Scherzer grew up in Chesterfield, Missouri and the Cardinals drafted him in 2003.

FanGraphs' Depth Charts have the Cardinals sitting 29th in projected starting pitcher WAR at 8.1, ahead of only Colorado at 6.4. The Rockies just added Michael Lorenzen and still live in the basement of that projection set.

RosterResource currently lines up Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, and Kyle Leahy as the five. Four of them carried ERAs above 4.20 last year, and even May's 123 strikeouts in 132.1 innings fell shy of one per inning.

Scherzer has been liked to a few teams this winter such as the San Francisco Giants but has yet to receive an official offer.

Cardinals fans have watched too many quiet winters, so a Hall of Fame name would at least make April nights feel louder.

Scherzer is 41 now, but he still took the ball for Toronto in 2025, going 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA across 85.0 innings. That's not peak Mad Max, yet it's a higher floor than this staff can honestly promise today.

His career line sits at 221-117 with 3,489 strikeouts, and the edge that comes with three Cy Young Awards does not evaporate overnight. If the deal is short term, it also fits a front office coming off a 78-84 season and openly reshaping the roster.

Scherzer's one-year, $15.5 million Blue Jays deal ended after the season, and he has said he plans to pitch in 2026. Whether it's a real push or a bridge to the next wave, this is the kind of swing St. Louis can sell before spring training opens.

Source: Blue Jays Nation
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