The Toronto Blue Jays could move on from some familiar faces in their pitching rotation.
Or, if they’d prefer, they can bring back guys like Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer.
One way or another, the Blue Jays are going to have to solidify their rotation. One way to do that would be to bring in players they already know.
Scherzer finished the 2026 season with the Blue Jays healthy and in solid form. Bieber was with Toronto, too, but spent much of the year injured.
The Blue Jays traded Gausman away at the deadline to the Chicago Cubs, knowing he’d hit the open market in the offseason.
Of the three, Gausman is likely the closest to his peak ability. The others are aging, for sure.
All three know what it takes to win in the major leagues, though. It’ll be worth watching all of them on the open market.
Kevin Gausman Free Agent Update
The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon wrote about all three of these guys in a new article on Thursday.
Gausman was the one that seemed to pique Bannon’s interest the most.
“Gausman is perhaps the most interesting of the trio, as he will almost certainly earn the most money this winter if he chooses to pitch next season,” Bannon writes. “After talking about potential retirement in spring this year, Gausman is probably looking at a one-year deal. But what if another team comes with a juicy multiyear offer? Gausman was open to an extension with the Jays ahead of the deadline last year, but the sides never got the ball rolling. With other teams likely to be interested this offseason, will the Jays and Gausman be able to line up on money now?”
Gausman seemed to be a fan of Toronto, which could help the Blue Jays now.
Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer Update
Bieber and Scherzer are both free agents, too.
Here’s what Bannon wrote about them:
The door is open for Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber, said a source familiar with Toronto’s offseason plans but not authorized to speak publicly.
Bieber is likely looking for a short-term, incentive-laden contract to rebuild some value after a few injury-filled seasons. Scherzer probably won’t make his decision on playing in 2027 for months, but his agent, Scott Boras, doesn’t seem to think he’s done.
“If you saw Scherzer’s last game,” Boras said, “you’ll understand he’s far from Max’d out.”
Scherzer wouldn’t be a sure thing to pitch at a high level in 2027. Bieber’s health is a big question mark.
But as fringe options for Toronto for next season, both would be familiar faces who still have some solid talent and certainly have some veteran know-how.
Blue Jays Get Major Free Agent Updates on Bieber, Gausman, Scherzer