The Toronto Blue Jays are in offseason mode, and the front office must begin putting its plan to improve the roster into action. After coming within one win of a World Series title in 2025, the Blue Jays missed the playoffs this past season, making changes necessary as they look to get back into contention.
Nonetheless, could one of those moves be bringing back a familiar face? In the middle of the 2026 season, Toronto traded veteran starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago fell 2-0 in the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres, and with Gausman now a free agent, the question is: Would the Blue Jays consider bringing him back? Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com, Keegan Matheson, shared his candid take on whether he sees that scenario happening.
“I go back to Chris Bassitt a year ago, who the Jays didn’t seem to have a ton of interaction with about bringing him back,” Matheson said on the Oct. 7 edition of “Toronto Sports Rush.” “Bassitt was a touch older, maybe not with the same ceiling as Gausman, but we’ll see. I think they’ll talk to him, obviously, because that relationship is so strong on both sides.
“But we’ve seen the Jays recently, time and time again, kind of cash out at the right time and try to get out of it one year early. I say that about a team that just pitched Max Scherzer on the last day of the season, but I don’t know. I’d still say I’m not as optimistic as the aggregated headlines are.”
What Could Kevin Gausman Get in the Open Market
Moreover, Matheson shared the type of contract that he could see Gausman getting out in the open market, whether that be with Toronto or somewhere else.
“Chris Bassitt made $18 million, which was good money with the Orioles,” Matheson added. “Can Kevin Gausman get that on a two-year deal? Maybe. We’ll see. Maybe someone like Shane Bieber, who’s a bit younger, is someone the Blue Jays would be more interested in. We’ll see, but there needs to be more than just a relationship. It’s that point every offseason where I know there are ties.”
Could the Blue Jays Take a Big Swing This Winter?
While Gausman could be a name that the Blue Jays pursue this offseason, Adam Steinmetz of the Toronto Blue Jays on SI floated three potential trade targets, and one of them was Pittsburgh Pirates‘ Oneil Cruz, who would be a big swing to bolster Toronto’s lineup for next season.
“One hallmark of small-market teams like the Tampa Bay Rays is that they unload players as they become progressively more expensive in their arbitration years and get closer to free agency,” Steinmetz wrote in an Oct. 3 article.
“A broad rule of thumb is that players will make around 40% of their open market value in the first year of arbitration, 60% in year 2, and 80% in year 3. These are trade waters Toronto should go fishing in to take advantage of its ability to take on payroll. One such player is the Pirates’ Oneil Cruz.”
Blue Jays Insider Gets Candid on Potential Kevin Gausman Return