The Toronto Blue Jays had to make a tough call before the 2026 MLB trade deadline.
Kevin Gausman had been so good for them, but they were only on the periphery of the playoff race, and he was in the last year of his contract.
That led the Blue Jays to trade Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, a move that felt logical even if a bit hard from a sentimental standpoint.
Toronto did indeed miss the playoffs, and the Cubs got in — although they got swept in two games in the NL Wild Card Round by the San Diego Padres.
Gausman now, as the Blue Jays knew at the time, will be a free agent.
There are potential retirement whispers to come, but it would make sense for Gausman to keep pitching as long as he wants to.
And if he keeps pitching, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up back in a Blue Jays uniform. A lot of signs point that way.
Hints of Kevin Gausman Returning to Blue Jays
Gausman has actually given a few different indications about just how much Toronto has meant for him. Once you break it down, it’s hard to see how he could consider signing somewhere else.
“The right-hander also made clear upon being traded away from the Jays that leaving Toronto was an extremely bittersweet experience; Gausman explained that while he relished the opportunity to return to the postseason, Toronto was where he’d raised his daughters and the city had come to feel like home,” writes Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. “He even spoke of wanting to take his girls to Jays games as a fan and show them around the rest of Canada in his post-playing days. A return to the Jays shouldn’t be a surprise, but Gausman will have a healthy market of interested bidders if he continues pitching.”
Once you read that, you can definitely picture Gausman choosing the Blue Jays as his new-old destination in free agency.
Given the family implications, it would likely make it easier for Gausman to keep playing versus considering retirement. If his family is comfortable there, that saves one variable that would otherwise lean toward hanging up his spikes.
Potential Impact
Gausman wasn’t great after he went to the Cubs, which would be the one thing that could give the Blue Jays some pause here.
Overall, though, he’s got such a good track record that if he wants to sign in Toronto, the Blue Jays shouldn’t have much hesitation.
“Gausman’s five-year, $110MM deal with the Blue Jays spanned the 2022-26 seasons and has been one of the best free agent investments in recent memory,” Adams writes. “He made 31 or 32 starts and totaled at least 174 innings in all five years of the contract. He posted a strong walk rate each season and delivered a sub-4.00 ERA and above-average strikeout rate in four of the five. His ERA spiked to 4.51 this season, but Gausman’s strikeout rate (24.5%), walk rate (6.3%) and ground-ball rate (40.1%) all remained near or better than league average. The primary culprit for Gausman was a jump to a 12.7% homer-to-flyball rate and a corresponding dip in strand rate. Metrics like SIERA (3.67) and xFIP (3.58) don’t feel he was materially different than in the preceding four seasons.”
There could’ve also been some tough mental and emotional stuff at play for Gausman that simply came with abruptly being shipped out of Toronto in the first place.
Players perform better when they’re comfortable both on and off the field. The Blue Jays seem to provide that opportunity for Gausman.
Signs Point to Kevin Gausman Blue Jays Return