DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Max Scherzer does not tiptoe quietly into anything. It always comes with a crash, a bang, a grunt and some colorful language.
Monday morning in Dunedin, Scherzer was back on the mound throwing a bullpen for the Blue Jays while manager John Schneider, pitching coach Pete Walker and a crew of pitchers watched on. Scherzer’s one-year deal, which is expected to be made official soon, adds another fascinating layer to this already crowded rotation, but for Day 1, it was just one big, intense reunion.
“Good catching up with gramps,” Schneider said, grinning. “Nice to have him back.”
Schneider has often called Scherzer one of his favorite players he’s ever managed. Scherzer puts in marathon sessions in Schneider’s office almost daily, breaking down every imaginable facet of the game, and that energy can be infectious in the clubhouse.
“If it’s at a six, it goes to an immediate eight or nine, because he’s always on,” Schneider said. “I had an extra cup of coffee this morning.”
In the bullpen, Scherzer just kept throwing and throwing. He had someone stand in as a batter at one point, just to make it a little more realistic, and called his own balls and strikes as he went. He’s just as animated as ever.
When the Blue Jays brought Scherzer back, it felt like this could stretch into the regular season and that the Blue Jays could slow-play his buildup. One day in, it already sounds like that’s been accelerated.
“He threw today, he’ll throw again on Wednesday, and then we’ll see where we’re at,” Schneider said. “He’s been throwing to hitters down in Jupiter, [Fla.,] so we’ll see how his next bullpen goes and get him into some games.”
Some of the pieces are already beginning to shift around, and each few days offers up a new clue about how this could work.
Eric Lauer is now expected to follow José Berríos out of the bullpen in Friday’s game, and while he’ll still throw multiple innings and stay stretched out as a starter, it’s clear that he’s destined for a long-relief role to open the season. That could line him up with Trey Yesavage, who is expected to be managed carefully after a big jump in his workload in 2025. You could see days where Yesavage goes twice through the lineup, Lauer goes once through, then the back end of the bullpen takes over.
Shane Bieber’s ramp-up is another factor here. He’s on a delayed schedule after dealing with some right forearm fatigue, and while the Blue Jays are optimistic that he’ll get off a mound soon, his timeline is clearly being pushed into April, towards May, and perhaps beyond.
Scherzer will have an opportunity to impact this rotation early, and yes, Opening Day is on the table. Monday morning was just the first step in Dunedin, but in all of his unmistakable intensity, Mad Max is back.