Veteran right-hander Max Scherzer has agreed to return to the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year, $3 million contract, a league source told The Athletic on Thursday. The deal includes $10 million in performance incentives and no-trade protection.

Incentives begin at 65 innings pitched, per the source. The agreement brings back the 41-year-old for his 19th major league season after he helped Toronto reach the 2025 World Series.

Scherzer finished the regular season with a 5.19 ERA across 17 starts but posted a 3.77 mark in three postseason outings. He started Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, surrendering just one run in 4 1/3 innings before Toronto fell short.

"I just don't see how that's the last pitch I've ever thrown," Scherzer said following the Game 7 defeat.

Thumb problems that hampered Scherzer for three prior seasons limited him to the injured list for much of the first half of 2025. After returning in late June, he threw at least five innings in 10 of his first 11 starts, recording a 3.34 ERA across six August outings before a difficult September inflated his full-season numbers.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner has accumulated 221 career victories and two World Series titles. While his durability has declined from his peak years, Scherzer remains a commanding clubhouse presence and a reliable arm in high-stakes situations for a contending roster.