Max Scherzer turned 37-years-old in July and although he dealt with arm fatigue due to increased usage in the postseason, the future Hall of Famer hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down heading into free agency.
After being acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, Scherzer went on a historic run to help keep the team in the hunt for the National League West title. He started the Wild Card Game and converted a key save in the NL Division Series.
Scherzer now is set to become a free agent once the World Series concludes and is sure to draw interest from many teams around the league. It’s presumed there will be mutual interest between the right-hander and the Dodgers.
If the Dodgers do want to reach an agreement, they might need to be willing to offer a three-year contract as Scherzer intends to pitch into his 40s, according to to Jon Heyman of MLB Network:
Have heard Max Scherzer would like to pitch into his 40s. So that would mean a 3-year-plus deal. At 37, remarkably, he’s still at the top of his game, so a record annual salary is all but assured.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 1, 2021
Scherzer has made 30 starts this season while posting a 2.46 ERA, 2.97 FIP and 5.4 WAR in 179.1 innings while striking out 34.1% and walking 5.2%.
He was voted the NL Outstanding Pitcher in the 2021 Players Choice Awards and will likely be a Cy Young finalist as well.
Scherzer hopes to be with Dodgers for Kershaw’s 3,000th strikeout
Scherzer became the 19th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 strikeouts and after being removed from that outing, was embraced in the dugout by Clayton Kershaw.
“He was just happy to be able to watch it and that we’re on the same team,” Scherzer said. “Hopefully I’m here to be able to watch his 3,000th as well. Obviously with what he’s done in his career, he should be able to reach that milestone, and it would be a special one for him as well.”
Like Scherzer, Kershaw will also become a free agent, so the Dodgers will have some work to do to make sure both are around to see the left-hander’s historic feat.
Kershaw is currently at 2,670 career strikeouts.
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