Max Scherzer is heading home and entering free agency after what he calls the most frustrating season of his 17-year career in the major leagues.
At 40 years old and finishing a season with the Texas Rangers where he made the fewest starts since his rookie year, Scherzer expressed on Sunday that he looks forward to a normal offseason and believes he can pitch again next season.
“I still believe I can pitch at a high level here. There’s nothing stopping me from doing that. Just right now my body’s not fully cooperating,” Scherzer said before the Rangers played their last home game.
“But if I can properly address everything that’s been going on and learn from what is going on with my body right now, I can be better next year for it with a full offseason.”
The right-handed pitcher was pulled from his scheduled start on Saturday due to a strained left hamstring and was placed on the 15-day injured list, ending his season as the reigning World Series champions were already out of playoff contention.
He finished with a record of 2-4 and a 3.95 ERA in nine starts, the fewest since he made seven starts as a rookie with Arizona in 2008.
He didn’t make his debut this season until June 23, which was his first start for the Rangers since Game 3 of the World Series at Arizona, where he left after three scoreless innings due to back tightness.
He had surgery in mid-December to fix a herniated disk in his lower back and dealt with a nerve issue during his rehab, which was diagnosed after he experienced soreness in his right thumb.
“The only good news is now I can go in the offseason healthy. You know, my back’s good, my arm’s good. The real serious things that you need to think about and talk about are actually in a good spot,” he said.
“I really feel like if I get a full offseason to actually train and do what I do in the offseason, that’s going to matter. Now when you reflect upon this year, I didn’t have an offseason, wasn’t able to do anything.
I’m a believer that, you give me a full offseason, I think things will definitely be different and I’ll definitely be a lot more healthier next year.”
While Scherzer mentioned he would like to stay with the Rangers, it seems unlikely they will try to re-sign him after only having to cover part of his salary this season. He said he wouldn’t join the team on their final road trip and instead went home to Florida to get his kids back in school a week early.
The last time Scherzer was a free agent, he signed a three-year deal worth $130 million with the Mets before the 2022 season. He was traded to Texas at the trade deadline last summer after deciding to stay for this season at $43.3 million, with New York paying $30.83 million of that amount.
In his first free agency, he signed a seven-year contract for $210 million with Washington before the 2015 season and helped the Nationals win their only World Series title in 2019.
He was in the final year of that deal when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then he signed with the Mets that offseason.
Scherzer has a record of 216-112 in his 466 major league games and ranks 11th on the MLB career list with 3,407 strikeouts in 2,878 innings. Only his former teammate Justin Verlander, with 3,411 strikeouts, has more among active pitchers.
After being traded to Texas last year, Scherzer had a record of 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA in eight starts but missed the last two weeks of the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs due to a strained muscle in his right shoulder.
“Won a World Series here, get along with guys in here, we have a great clubhouse,” Scherzer said. “But I also know when you’re a free agent, you know, I’ve been in free agency two other times in my career.
I get how this goes. I’ve seen how things go and I’m realistic about it. So you’ve just got to let that take care of itself.”
