Max Scherzer contract wrinkle may prevent reunion with Tony Vitello on SF Giants

Early in the offseason the SF Giants were linked to veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer due to his relationship with manager Tony Vitello, but Scherzer just ended up signing with the Toronto Blue Jays. A wrinkle in his contract could make a potential reunion with Vitello even more difficult.

Scherzer's one-year deal with Toronto reportedly has a no-trade clause so the veteran can basically determine his own fate. Players can waive that clause, but if Scherzer does not want to leave the Blue Jays then he does not have to.

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When the offseason began after the Giants officially hired Vitello, many assumed that Scherzer would be a natural fit with the team. They brought in future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander last season, who ended up reuniting with Detroit this offseason, so it seemed to make sense to bring in another veteran arm especially since Vitello coached him when Scherzer was in college at Mizzou.

The Giants went a different route by adding Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle into the mix. Adding them gave the Giants five viable starters to enter the season which basically shut the door on signing Scherzer.

Still, it would have made sense for the Giants to try to acquire Scherzer at some point during the season if one of their starters goes down and they want a battle-tested arm who could be relied upon in the playoffs.

Maybe that could still come to fruition if Toronto decides they do not need Scherzer anymore and he is willing to waive the no-trade clause in his contract, but that takes several things happening and the stars aligning perfectly

The Giants probably feel pretty good about their rotation right now, though. The front office had to add starters on a budget and they got two guys at an affordable price who have proven they can be really good pitchers when they are healthy. The question is whether they can get through most of the season taking the ball every fifth day.

If there are injuries, the Giants can lean upon their young starters like Trevor McDonald, Carson Whisenhunt, or Hayden Birdsong.

San Francisco may not really be missing out on too much with Scherzer. He is 41 and had a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts last year although he did have some strong outings in the playoffs. Maybe a reunion between Scherzer and Vitello was just not meant to be even if it did make sense on paper.