The Toronto Blue Jays are in a bit of a funk. No, they aren’t visiting any disco halls, but back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Twins have the ball club in an early-season spiral that must stop. In light of this, the MLB club needs to decide on Max Scherzer and Martin Perez.
George Springer is the latest Blue Jays player to go down with an injury. Alexandro Kirk, Addison Barger, and Cody Ponce are a few other players who are worse for wear. Toronto has brought up Eloy Jimenez to soften the blow of losing Springer, but could they do more to help their pitching?
That’s where the fans are chiming in. They believe that Perez is a player the team must target. And given Scherzer’s recent struggles, it’s not a bad idea. He might not be a recognizable name (like Masters Tournament winner Rory McIlroy), but he could be a useful player for the team.
Martin Perez Designated For Assignment
On the same day that the Blue Jays were handed their latest defeat, the Atlanta Braves made a couple of transactions. They called up lefty Dylan Dodd in addition to designating Perez for assignment.
With this news coming on the heels of the Blue Jays’ latest loss, a few fans are clamoring (and predicting) for him to be in a Blue Jays uniform by Monday.
“Blue Jay by Monday,” wrote one user on X.
Several others chimed in, naming their respective teams to put in a claim on the veteran arm. The Braves made the news official on their transactions page.
Toronto Blue Jays Could Use Martin Perez
While the Blue Jays have already added a veteran southpaw in Patrick Corbin, adding another lefty couldn’t hurt. This is especially true, given that Scherzer has had his own forearm issues that have limited him to less than five innings in his last two starts.
Starting on Tuesday, they play a game every day for a week. Because of that, they need as many healthy bodies as they can muster.
Enter Perez.
So far in 2025, Perez has started two games and thrown six strikeouts in 14.1 innings. He has a 0.91 WHIP to go along with a 3.14 ERA.
While his $3.5 million salary owed to him for 2026 is definitely a bargain, he brings other value to the table. For instance, his Chase and hard-hit percentage in 2026 are in the 77th and 80th percentiles, respectively.
Martin Perez Can Give Max Scherzer a Break
Scherzer had a great 2026 debut. Unfortunately, it’s been downhill since then.
The 41-year-old veteran threw four strikeouts in six innings, giving up a single home run to earn a victory. Since then? He’s pitched 4.1 innings, thrown five strikeouts, in addition to 10 runs and three home runs being scored against him.
All of that is definitely less than ideal.
The Blue Jays have 16 games in the next 18 days. Over that time, they are expected to at least get back Trey Yesavage from his rehab stint. The combination of Yesavage and Perez could be enough to weather the upcoming storm.
Blue Jays Must Steal $3.5M Braves Castaway to Solve Max Scherzer Problem Amid Surging Losses