Both the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays are officially in offseason mode.
The Blue Jays didn’t make the playoffs to begin with, and Chicago had a swift exit after being swept by the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round this week.
In a blockbuster trade back in August, the Blue Jays offloaded All-Star starter Kevin Gausman to the Cubs.
Well, Gausman is now set to hit free agency, which allows the Blue Jays to ink their former ace to another long-term deal. If you remember, back in 2022, Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million contract with the Jays.
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Blue Jays Named Landing Spot in Recent Kevin Gausman Free Agency Rumor
While Kevin Gausman didn’t have the best campaign with the Blue Jays in 2026, which ultimately led to a trade, he would still be worth bringing back.
Across 23 starts with Toronto in 2026, Gausman pitched to a 4.38 ERA over 125+ innings. The Blue Jays starter woes were certainly not his fault, but GM Ross Atkins now has an opportunity in free agency to bring back Gausman.
Recently, BR.com’s Tim Kelly named the Blue Jays as a logical destination for the Blue Jays’ All-Star starter, Kevin Gausman:
“Gausman spent the final half of the season with the Cubs, but given how popular he was during his four-and-a-half seasons with the Blue Jays, it’s not hard to imagine a Merrill Kelly-esque return this offseason for the veteran righty. Max Scherzer, Jameson Taillon and Shane Bieber will be coming off the books this offseason. Bowden Francis had Tommy John surgery in February, so it might be a stretch for him to be ready for Opening Day. José Berríos had Tommy John surgery in May, so he’s more likely in play for the second half of the 2027 season. Cody Ponce will also be returning from a major procedure, as he tore the ACL in his right knee in April.”
The point that Kelly makes is that the Blue Jays need stability in their starting staff, and Gausman certainly brings that.
In his last six seasons pitching, Gausman has made 30+ starts in each campaign.
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Kevin Gausman Seems Like Perfect Target for Blue Jays in Free Agency
Kevin Gausman seems like a perfect target for the Blue Jays to reunite with in free agency.
Gausman logged an ERA of 3.62 over 148 starts in the past 4.5 seasons with the Blue Jays.
However, this is obviously just a rumor for now, and Gausman will likely want to test out the open market before making any final destination decision.
With that being said, expect the Blue Jays to be aggressive in free agency and trades this offseason after a disappointing season.
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