Blue Jays Pitcher Predicted to Leave Toronto to Play for His College Coach

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the World Series, but when free agency starts, they could lose key players. Among their free agents is future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.

Scherzer is the Blue Jays’ projected starter in Game 3 of the World Series. He has not had the best season, but he delivered a solid outing in his last postseason start. Scherzer is 41 years old and has already expressed his desire to keep pitching. However, the Blue Jays may not bring him back.

He had a 5.19 ERA in 17 regular-season starts, and the Blue Jays may look elsewhere to fill out the rotation. However, other teams could show interest in the veteran. Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicted he would leave Toronto to sign with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants recently hired Tony Vitello, who was one of Scherzer’s coaches in college.

“President of baseball operations Buster Posey took a risk hiring Tony Vitello, the former manager at the University of Tennessee, as the new skipper for the Giants,” wrote Kelly. “Posey would be wise to bring in a veteran who can help get buy-in on Vitello. While he wasn’t the head coach at the University of Missouri during Scherzer’s collegiate career, he was on the coaching staff and has the clear support of the three-time Cy Young Award winner.”

Scherzer sang praise of Vitello earlier this year and called him one of his closest friends, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The Giants have been aggressive under Posey, and Scherzer could be a solid arm in the rotation. He could serve as a replacement for Justin Verlander, who could sign elsewhere.

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