DUNEDIN, Fla. — Max Scherzer says the observe his daughter composed asking the Toronto Blue Jays to re-sign the three-time Cy Young Award winner arose as his youngsters had been writing letters to Santa Claus in December.
After Scherzer agreed last week to a $3 million, one-year contract to return to the Blue Jays, his spouse posted on Instagram the handwritten observe from their 8-year-old daughter, Brooke.
“It’s the cutest thing you can possibly imagine when you read that, how much it meant to her to be in Toronto,” Scherzer advised reporters Tuesday after his deal was finalized.
Scherzer mentioned his youngsters had been writing letters expressing what they wished from Santa when Brooke approached him and his spouse, Erica May-Scherzer. The 8-year-old requested for a stamp after which put it on a sealed envelope that she handed to her dad and mom.
After Brooke went to mattress, her dad and mom opened the letter to see what she had written.
“Dear Blue Jays,” the observe started, “I am so sorry that you didn’t win the World Series. I hope that you win next time. I hope my dad is back on the team. My whole family loves spending time in Toronto with our dad. We loved the aquarium, the (CN) Tower and of course the stadium. I am looking forward to come back next season. Love, Max Scherzer daughter.”
Scherzer famous he and his spouse did not ship the letter to the Blue Jays.
“That’s a bad negotiating tactic,” Scherzer mentioned with amusing.
Scherzer, 41, wished to return to Toronto after the Blue Jays got here so near successful the World Series final season. The Blue Jays led within the ninth inning of Game 7 earlier than falling 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers within the eleventh.
“Obviously we came as close as you possibly can to winning the whole thing — something you can never get over, forget or anything of that nature,” mentioned Scherzer, who received World Series rings with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023. “That was a huge reason why I wanted to come back. This team can win. I wanted to be a part of it.”
Scherzer mentioned he is proper on schedule for the beginning of the season after coping with a thumb damage for a lot of final yr.
“I feel healthy,” Scherzer mentioned.
Scherzer went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 regular-season begins final yr. He additionally was the successful pitcher in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series with Seattle and made two begins within the World Series.
He wished to return to Toronto however understood the uncertainty that comes with being a free agent. His take care of the Jays consists of $10 million in accessible efficiency bonuses for innings,
“Free agency is a weird animal,” Scherzer mentioned. “I’ve been through it many times. You think it’s going to go one way and it goes another way. I kind of knew not to get my hopes up, but like I said, I was going to be picky about where I went. I wasn’t just going to sign with anybody. There was only a couple of teams I’d sign with at this point in time, and obviously Toronto was one of them.”
The 35-year-old performed for the Arizona Diamondbacks the previous six seasons. Arizona designated him for project on May 15 after Mantiply allowed 17 earned runs in 9 2/3 innings. He signed a minor league take care of the Blue Jays, and had a 3.45 ERA in 14 appearances with Triple-A Buffalo.
