Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Max Scherzer

After 17 seasons in MLB, free agent pitcher Max Scherzer — who will turn 41 in 2025 — is looking for what’s likely to be his last hurrah.

In an injury-ridden 2024 campaign, Scherzer managed just nine starts for the Texas Rangers — but while his time on the mound was limited, he proved he can still turn it on. The eight-time All-Star went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 43.1 innings this year, adding 40 strikeouts to his career total to rank in eleventh place on MLB’s all-time list at 3,407.

Scherzer earned $43 million during the 2024 season with the Rangers, but his projected salary for next year is much more budget-friendly. Sportrac puts his market value at one year and $15.2 million, which makes the three-time Cy Young Award winner far more affordable than most teams likely thought he’d ever be.

With Scherzer looking to lock down what could be the final chapter of his illustrious career, here are three teams who are likely to pursue a deal with the right-hander this offseason.

Detroit Tigers

Who among us doesn’t love a heartwarming reunion?

Scherzer made his name with the Tigers after being traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of 2009, helping Detroit win four consecutive AL Central titles (2011-14), while earning two All-Star nods (2013-14) and winning the 2013 AL Cy Young Award. During his five-year stint with the team, he accumulated a 3.52 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 1,081 strikeouts across 161 starts, leading MLB in wins during both the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and firmly establishing himself as an ace.

Now, the Tigers could desperately use Scherzer back in their rotation, even after recently signing veteran right-hander Alex Cobb.

In 2024 (particularly in the second half of the season), Detroit heavily relied on left-hander Tarik Skubal to lead an unorthodox strategy of utilizing relievers as starters and starters as bulk relievers, and it worked far better than it arguably should have. The Tigers’ rotation finished the season ranked fourth in MLB with a combined ERA of 3.69, and second in WHIP at 1.19. Still, manager A.J. Hinch has admitted himself that his island-of-misfit-toys approach to starting — which became known as “pitching chaos” during the playoffs — was difficult to manage.

“I have no idea whether you can do it for a full season,” Hinch told The Detroit Free Press’ Jeff Seidel in September. “We did it for a third of the season, and our guys continue to do that.”

Going into 2025, Skubal will return as the Tigers’ ace, with Cobb and Reese Olson behind him. While there are a number of potential options in the organization to fill the remaining two spots — including Casey Mize, Keider Montero, Jackson Jobe, and Matt Manning — adding Scherzer would solidify the rotation with a reliable veteran.

Philadelphia Phillies

On Dec. 4, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted the Phillies’ rotation for 2025, listing Scherzer as the team’s fifth starter after Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez.

Reuter wrote, “The Atlanta Braves bought low on an aging Chris Sale last offseason hoping he could hold down the No. 5 starter job, and he ended up winning NL Cy Young honors. The Phillies could take a similar approach with Max Scherzer, targeting him on a one-year deal and giving him a chance to pitch for a World Series contender in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career.”

In 2022, the Phillies exceeded all expectations by winning the NL Pennant, and now after three consecutive trips to the playoffs, the team is very much locked into a “win-now” mentality. With the goal of finally taking home the World Series title in 2025, the Phillies need to secure an upgrade in their fifth rotation slot — occupied by Taijuan Walker this year — before Opening Day.

In order to justify signing Scherzer, the Phillies will almost certainly want to recoup at least some of the $36 million left on Walker’s contract. Still, considering Walker’s career-worst 7.10 ERA and abysmal Pitching Run Value of -28 in 19 appearances this year, they may have to come to terms with simply cutting their losses.

At the end of the day, the Phillies want to win, and to do that, they need a rock-solid rotation from start to finish. Scherzer would be the big addition they’re looking for, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski — who was the president and general manager of the Tigers during Scherzer’s time in Detroit — knows it.

Washington Nationals

Another reunion opportunity? The Nationals are paying Scherzer $15 million next year anyway, so they may as well add a bit more and put him in the rotation for a second stint.

Before the 2015 season, Scherzer joined the Nationals on a seven-year, $210 million deal to be paid out over 14 years. The $105 million deferral was the largest in MLB history at the time, and Scherzer won’t receive his final annual $15 million payout until 2028.

Despite the expensive pay checks, the Nationals certainly enjoyed having Scherzer in their rotation. He accumulated a stunning 2.89 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 1,610 strikeouts in 189 starts across seven seasons, and won consecutive NL Cy Young Awards in 2016 and 2017. Scherzer was also selected to the All-Star team five times during his tenure in Washington, pitched two no-hitters during the 2015 season, and played a crucial role in the Nationals’ franchise-first World Series victory in 2019.

Three years after he was shipped off to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 trade deadline, it’s easy to see why the Nationals would welcome Scherzer back to Washington — he’s exactly the sort of veteran presence the team needs to push their young core towards contention.

In 2025, the Nationals’ starting rotation will be led by MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin, but as of right now, the remaining three slots are up for grabs at spring training. On Dec. 4, Bleacher Report’s Reuter predicted Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz would take two spots, but Jackson Rutledge, Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli, Joan Adon, and Cole Henry are all in the mix.

The Nationals posted identical 71-91 records in 2023 and 2024, but with each season, it’s clear they’re continuing to grind their way out of the rebuild. With starter Patrick Corbin’s poorly-aged six-year, $140 million deal finally almost off Washington’s books (they still owe him $10 million in deferred money in 2025), the team has some payroll flexibility to firm up the rotation with a reliable leader, and Scherzer would be exactly that.