The New York Yankees are in the World Series for the first time since 2009, an exciting time for the fan base. While reaching the World Series is step one in their goal of winning it all, the Yankees are a franchise built on success.
Moving forward, the expectation is for the Yankees to continue being one of the top teams in Major League Baseball, putting themselves in the picture to win multiple World Series.
If they want to accomplish that, they could be active in the offseason. They were linked to veteran starter Max Scherzer by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com recently, an intriguing option for them to pursue. Feinsand listed the Yankees as a fit for the right-hander.
“The 40-year-old likely Hall of Famer has made only 17 starts since joining the Rangers at last year’s Trade Deadline, going 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA.
“Although Scherzer was limited to only 43 1/3 innings due to back and hamstring injuries in 2024, he believes he can still pitch at a high level when he’s healthy,” Feinsand wrote on October 21. “Scherzer will obviously take a massive pay cut from the $43.3 million he earned last season, but he can still help most rotations around the league.”
Scherzer Has Dealt With Injuries Recently
If there’s one reason for the New York Yankees to be worried about signing Scherzer, it’s his inability to stay healthy over the past few years.
He’s only made 17 starts since joining the Texas Rangers in the middle of the season in 2023. Still, in his eight appearances in 2023, he posted a 3.20 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. The 40-year-old followed that up with a 3.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in nine appearances in 2204.
“When I’m out there, I’ve been able to compete,” Scherzer said in August, according to Evan Grant of Dallas News. “I can still pitch at a high level. I look at things like my slider, which I went into the season wanting to fix, and it’s been really good. I still see myself as able to compete and win.”
Scherzer Ready for the Offseason
With Scherzer only getting older, his injuries don’t come as much of a surprise. Nonetheless, the New York Yankees have to consider that, as signing him if he’s injured doesn’t make much sense.
He fully plans to pitch in 2025. Fortunately, Scherzer doesn’t have anything wrong with his arm at the moment. He was scratched in his last start of the season, but it was due to a strained left hamstring.
The future Hall of Famer is ready for the offseason, highlighting how the important parts of his body are healthy.
“The only good news is now I can go in the offseason healthy. You know, my back’s good, my arm’s good. The real serious things that you need to think about and talk about are actually in a good spot,” he said in September, according to the Associated Press.
“I really feel like if I get a full offseason to actually train and do what I do in the offseason, that’s going to matter. Now when you reflect upon this year, I didn’t have an offseason, wasn’t able to do anything. … I’m a believer that, you give me a full offseason, I think things will definitely be different and I’ll definitely be a lot more healthier next year.”
