The Toronto Blue Jays attempted to shop at the very top of the free agent pitching market last offseason, but it didn’t work out in their favor.

Toronto was in the market for the big-name free agents, like Corbin Burnes, but was unable to get a deal done. Instead, the Blue Jays pivoted to a short-term option with future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer. He signed a one-year, 15.5 million deal to join Toronto. Scherzer made 17 starts in the regular season and had a 5.19 ERA and an 82-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 85 innings pitched.

Those numbers aren’t great, but he was solid in three playoff appearances. Scherzer made three starts — including Game 7 of the World Series — and had a 3.77 ERA in 14 1/3 innings pitched. His best outing was Game 7 as he went 4 1/3 and allowed just one earned run. Scherzer has insinuated that he plans to continue his big league career into 2026. ESPN’s Jeff Passan mentioned the Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants as two potential options for Scherzer while noting that the expectation is that he will find a home somewhere with a team.

“Max Scherzer, right-handed starter: At 41, Scherzer plans to keep pitching, and whether he joins his close friend Tony Vitello in San Francisco, returns to finish the job in Toronto or joins his eighth team elsewhere, the guy who started Game 7 of the World Series will tack on

more numbers to a résumé that will wind up with first-ballot Hall of Fame entry,” Passan wrote.

It has been reported over and over that the Blue Jays are on the hunt for pitching this offseason, including by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi.

There are big-name players out there worth targeting, like Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease. But, retaining a veteran like Scherzer would be a nice complementary move as well. With Chris Bassitt also in free agency right now, there’s no telling what the Blue Jays’ rotation will look like in 2026. Plus, with the injuries down the stretch, it would make sense to stockpile as much competent pitching as possible.

It makes sense to target someone like Valdez or Cease, but that shouldn’t get in the way of Toronto trying to bring back Scherzer as well.