Final night time, Max Scherzer, the three-time Cy Younger winner, took the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays, going through off in opposition to the Seattle Mariners in Sport 4 of the ALCS. All was going easily by means of the fifth inning. The Jays have been up 5–2, and Max had a 1–2 depend on Randy Arozarena.
In fact, whenever you keep in mind that Scherzer is 41 years outdated, hadn’t gained a postseason recreation in six years, and struggled by means of the tip of the common season, the “affordable” transfer was to drag him. That is precisely what Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider deliberate to do as he climbed the dugout steps towards the mound. Sadly for Schneider, he barely made it onto the sector earlier than listening to a thunderous “NOOOOO!” SCREAMED from the mound. Adopted by, “I’M GOOD! LET’S GO!”
It turned out to be one of many shortest mound visits in postseason baseball historical past as John Schneider shortly retreated to the dugout. As Schneider defined within the post-game press convention:
“I believed he was going to kill me. He locked eyes with me, each colours [Max has heterochromia iridis – two different eye colors (left brown, right blue)], as I walked out. And it isn’t pretend. That is the factor. It is not pretend. He has this ‘Mad Max’ persona, however he backed it up tonight.”
Moments later, “Mad Max” struck out Arozarena with a sweeping curve to finish the inning. The Jays went on to win 8–2 and transfer one step nearer to punching their ticket to the World Collection.
Max Scherzer was NOT popping out of this recreation
Going through his subsequent hitter, he picks up the strikeout to finish the fifth! pic.twitter.com/EbVoGMOno8
— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2025
Final night time’s showdown will stay perpetually in Max Scherzer’s spotlight reel — the form of second they will play throughout his inevitable Corridor of Fame induction. However whereas most gamers dream of Cooperstown for what they do on the sector, Scherzer additionally deserves enshrinement for what he pulled off on the negotiating desk.
You know the way we celebrate July 1st as “Bobby Bonilla Day,” in honor of what is continuously referred to as the greatest/luckiest/smartest contract in sports history? Yeah, nicely, Max Scherzer’s 2015 Nationals deal makes Bobby Bonilla Day seem like peanuts.
(Photograph by Alika Jenner/Getty Photos)
Mad Max’s Mad 2015 Contract
As a reminder, listed here are the small print of Bobby Bonilla’s world-famous contract that spawned a nationwide vacation: In 2000, the New York Mets agreed to defer the $5.9 million left on Bonilla’s contract, as an alternative paying him $1.19 million each July 1 from 2011 by means of 2035 — a complete of about $29.8 million over 25 years.
Now let’s discuss Max.
By the point Max Scherzer hit free company after the 2014 season, he had already constructed the résumé of a generational ace. Throughout his 5 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, he advanced from a hard-throwing prospect into probably the most dominant pitchers within the recreation. He gained the 2013 American League Cy Younger Award, led Detroit to a number of postseason appearances, and topped 240 strikeouts in back-to-back seasons. At 30 years outdated, Scherzer had the right mixture of expertise, well being, and timing — and his agent, Scott Boras, knew it.
When the Washington Nationals got here calling in January 2015, they did not simply need to signal an ace. They wished to make a press release. Scherzer agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract, immediately changing into one of many highest-paid pitchers in historical past. However what actually set the deal aside was its construction. Quite than taking all the cash throughout his taking part in years, Scherzer and Boras crafted a groundbreaking deferral plan that might pay him for greater than a decade.
Underneath the phrases of Scherzer’s Nationals deal, he earned $105 million in the course of the seven-year taking part in portion of the contract. The remaining $105 million was deferred — unfold out in seven annual installments of $15 million to be paid every July 1 from 2022 through 2028. In different phrases, even after he left Washington in 2021, the Nationals would preserve sending him $15 million checks each summer season for seven years.
These funds coincide completely with Bobby Bonilla Day, however the scale is staggering. Bonilla’s deal pays him a little bit over 1,000,000 every July. Scherzer’s pays fifteen instances that. And in contrast to Bonilla, Scherzer is not retired — he is nonetheless pitching, nonetheless profitable playoff video games, and nonetheless stacking probably the most good pay constructions in sports activities historical past. It truly will get even crazier…
Three Paychecks
Simply because Max Scherzer remains to be gathering $15 million a 12 months from the Washington Nationals does not imply he stopped signing new contracts.
After six and a half dominant seasons in Washington, Scherzer was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021. That winter, he hit free company once more and signed a record-breaking three-year, $130 million contract with the New York Mets. The deal got here with a full no-trade clause, an opt-out after two seasons, and a mean annual worth of $43.3 million — the very best in MLB historical past on the time.
However when the Mets fell aside in 2023, they traded Scherzer to the Texas Rangers. Here is the place it will get attention-grabbing: the Mets agreed to cowl most of his wage to make the deal occur. That 12 months, Scherzer earned $43.3 million in whole — $36.6 million paid by the Mets, $6.7 million paid by the Rangers, and one other $15 million from the Nationals in deferred cash.
So in 2023, whereas Scherzer was throwing pitches for the Rangers, three different teams were wiring him checks — for a grand whole of about $58 million in salary. No different participant in baseball historical past has ever pulled that off.
In 2025, Scherzer is incomes roughly $15.5 million in lively wage from the Toronto Blue Jays, plus one other $15 million from the Nationals. That is greater than $30 million in annual revenue at age 41, years faraway from his authentic contract.
Transfer Over, Bobby Bonilla
Each July 1, the sports activities world suggestions its hat to Bobby Bonilla — the person who will get $1.19 million for doing nothing. Cute.
Max Scherzer will get fifteen instances that. He is nonetheless pitching. Nonetheless incomes from a number of groups. Nonetheless staring down managers with two totally different coloured eyes and yelling “I’M GOOD!” within the fifth inning of playoff video games.
If Bobby Bonilla Day is baseball’s unofficial vacation, possibly it is time to add one other one to the calendar. July 1 is not nearly deferred goals anymore — it is the day Max Scherzer reminds everybody that he isn’t only a Corridor of Fame pitcher. He is a Corridor of Fame negotiator.
