Now that the World Series is over, the MLB offseason has officially begun, meaning several Toronto Blue Jays players are now free agents.
The MLB Players Association announced that 144 players became free agents on Thursday.
MLBPA Communications wrote on X:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
144 Players Become XX(B) Free Agents
➡️ XX(B) Free Agents will be updated daily here: mlbplayers.com/post/144-playe
144 Players Become XX(B) Free Agents
➡️ XX(B) Free Agents will be updated daily here: t.co/PxfYRZWuOF
Eight of those players were with the Blue Jays in 2026.
One of them is a future Hall of Famer.
Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer Becomes Free Agent After Spending 2026 Season With Toronto Blue Jays
Future Hall of Fame right-handed starting pitcher Max Scherzer is officially a free agent.
Scherzer, 42, might retire this offseason. He hasn’t announced his official decision yet, but he had an emotional sendoff in his final start of the season with Toronto.
Looking at Max Scherzer’s Legendary Career
Scherzer, 42, will undoubtedly be inducted into Cooperstown one day. Throughout his career, Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards, made eight All-Star teams. and won two World Series.
The right-hander has posted 75.3 bWAR and a 3.29 ERA over his 19 MLB seasons. He has 3,557 career strikeouts, which ranks ninth all-time. He has just three fewer strikeouts than former teammate Justin Verlander.
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Scherzer with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut with Arizona in 2008.
The Diamondbacks traded Scherzer to the Detroit Tigers after the 2009 season. He became a star with Detroit, posting a 3.52 ERA with 1,081 strikeouts over five seasons with the club.
Scherzer had the most success of his career with the Washington Nationals. He posted 39.1 bWAR and a 2.80 ERA with 1,610 strikeouts over seven seasons (2015-21) with the Nationals. He won his first career World Series with the Nationals in 2019.
After his time with Washington, Scherzer pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Blue Jays. He won his second World Series with the Rangers in 2023. He nearly earned a third ring with the Blue Jays in 2025.
Throughout his postseason career, Scherzer recorded a 3.78 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 157 1/3 innings.
Future Hall Of Famer Immediately Becomes Toronto Blue Jays Free Agent