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The New York Yankees are fresh off losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in excruciating fashion. Preparations for next year are underway, and several questions must be answered. Could starting pitcher Max Scherzer be part of the Bombers’ 2025 rotation?
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed potential fits for 26 MLB players who could become free agents this winter. He ranked Scherzer 24th and mentioned the Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers as possible landing spots.
“The 40-year-old likely Hall of Famer has made only 17 starts since joining the Rangers at last year’s Trade Deadline, going 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA,” he said. “Although Scherzer was limited to only 43 1/3 innings due to back and hamstring injuries in 2024, he believes he can still pitch at a high level when he’s healthy. Scherzer will obviously take a massive pay cut from the $43.3 million he earned last season, but he can still help most rotations around the league.”
According to Spotrac, Scherzer’s market value is for one year and $15.2 million.
How Could Max Scherzer Fit Into the Yankees’ Rotation?
The biggest question regarding New York’s rotation involves the future of staff ace Gerrit Cole. He has four years and $144 million remaining on his current deal. However, he has an opt-out decision to make. If exercised, the Yankees can void it by adding another year and $36 million to his contract.
But if Cole heads elsewhere, there would be a lot of innings that need to be replaced. FanGraphs’ Roster Resource has Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil and Nestor Cortes as guarantees to return in 2025.
Cortes’ status is up in the air, though. He’s entering his final year of arbitration and has been viewed as an offseason trade candidate.
General manager Brian Cashman can go in a few different directions to build his rotation. Scherzer isn’t the ace he once was and shouldn’t be viewed as such by any team interested in signing him. But if the Yankees are interested in the three-time Cy Young Award winner, there are ways to make him fit onto the pitching staff.
A Yankees-Scherzer Pairing Feels Unlikely Right Now
There are a lot of positives when it comes to signing a pitcher like Scherzer. He’s been one of MLB’s best pitchers since debuting in 2008. Scherzer is also familiar with playing in New York and he brings plenty of postseason experience as a two-time World Series champion. If the veteran can stay healthy, he could be an asset at the backend of a contender’s rotation.
However, the Yankees have bigger offseason priorities to take care of first. The biggest and most important of all is trying to re-sign outfielder Juan Soto. If they cut ties with Anthony Rizzo, they’ll also have to find someone else to take his spot at first base.
The possibility of Cole opting out and New York letting him test free agency would also be a priority. But when it comes to theoretically filling his spot at the top of the rotation, Cashman will be looking at other options instead of the 40-year-old hurler. A lot can happen during the winter, but this just feels unlikely at the moment.
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