ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MAY 04: Max Scherzer #31 of the Toronto Blue Jays takes the field prior to the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, May 4, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

MLB Photos via Getty Images

Before next season begins, the Toronto Blue Jays have several important decisions to make as regarding the rotation.

After trading away Kevin Gausman and with a free agent decision looming over Shane Bieber, the team is likely to bolster the pitching staff with another arm. That could push the team to strike a reunion with future Hall of Fame righty Max Scherzer, unless he hangs up his spikes first.

Shortly before his final start for the Blue Jays in this past season, Scherzer told reporters that he was not sure whether he would seek to continue his career and that he wouldn’t rush into a decision.

“If he pitches, he could join a team in camp or even kick it down the road a bit longer, waiting for the perfect situation early in the season or midway through,” Keegan Matheson wrote for MLB.com at the time. “For now, Scherzer insists that this is all still up in the air.”

Now Scherzer has provided his first update on his pitching plans since the season ended.

Toronto Blue Jays Free Agent Max Scherzer Sends Return Update Ahead Of Potential MLB Lockout

On Thursday, Scherzer indicated that a return is still on the table as he detailed his workout plans for an inevitable labor lockout next month.

“Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, 42, might keep pitching, and if his boffo finale in Toronto on short rest is any indication, there’s more there,” according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. “He tells The Post he plans to pitch in ‘lockout games’ near his Florida home, which will give him a better idea if season 20 will happen.”

Toronto Blue Jays Could Reunite With Max Scherzer Following Lockout Announcement

Although his time with the Blue Jays has included some injury setbacks, Scherzer’s contributions to the team’s postseason run in 2025 helped cement his place in the organization’s recent history.

Now, as the veteran considers whether he has another season left in him, a potential MLB labor dispute could provide an unusual opportunity to test that possibility. And his latest comments suggest that his playing career might not be finished just yet. Assuming his performance in the lockout games goes well, in the same form with which he finished the season, Scherzer could appeal to the Blue Jays as a mid-rotation reunion.

It would also help cement his Hall of Fame case shortly before he is inducted. According to MLB.com, he also entered his final scheduled start of the 2026 regular season with 3,550 career strikeouts, ninth on baseball’s all-time leaderboard.

Scherzer has already established himself as one of the most accomplished pitchers of his generation. A three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion, he has built a resume that should eventually earn him a place in Cooperstown, whether or not he returns.