Right-hander Kevin Gausman has been one of the more accomplished starters in recent Toronto Blue Jays history, but he’s a trade candidate if the club can’t turn its season around, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The 35-year-old Gausman is a pending free agent. He’s in the final season of a five-year, $110 million contract signed ahead of the 2022 campaign. Toronto is paying him $23 million this year. Gausman has held up his end of the deal, and then some. The veteran righty has made at least 31 starts in four consecutive seasons. He’s had a sub-4.00 ERA every year.
Trading Gausman would allow the Blue Jays to recoup value for a player who might be gone next season. Despite his age, the righty will be one of the more desirable arms on the open market in the 2026 offseason.
Toronto Blue Jays Trade Prediction Would Send Out Star Right-Hander Kevin Gausman
Gausman is coming off a workhorse 2025 campaign. He delivered a 3.59 ERA across a career-high 193 innings in the regular season. The righty continued his strong play into the postseason. Gausman notched a 2.93 ERA over 30.2 innings in the playoffs. He beat the New York Yankees with 5.2 innings of one-run ball in Game 1 of the American League Divisional Series. Gausman pitched three times in the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners. He tossed a scoreless seventh inning in Game 7 to earn the win.
While he took two losses against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Gausman pitched well in the 2025 World Series. He put together a quality start in Game 2 but was outdueled by right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Gausman came back in Game 6 with another quality start, allowing three earned runs over six innings with eight strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays’ offense could only muster a run against Yamamoto and the LA bullpen, saddling Gausman with another loss. His game log in the Fall Classic might look different if he didn’t have to battle the eventual World Series MVP in both appearances.
Gausman bounced around before finding a home in Toronto. He spent the first six seasons of his 14-year career with the Baltimore Orioles, who drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2012. Gausman departed Baltimore during the 2018 season. He went on to pitch for the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He finally settled down with the Blue Jays. Gausman’s time in Toronto has been his longest stretch with one club since his debut with the Orioles.
What Could the Blue Jays Get for Kevin Gausman in a Trade?
A team acquiring Gausman would be locking down a frontline starter for the stretch run. His pending free agency would complicate the return package, as he is little more than a rental, assuming his new club can’t work out an extension.
The closest comp to a Gausman trade last season would be the Texas Rangers landing Merrill Kelly. The Arizona Diamondbacks received right-hander David Hagaman and left-handers Kohl Drake and Mitch Bratt in exchange for Kelly, who was a pending free agent. Kelly doesn’t have the same track record as Gausman, but a package including a handful of minor-league arms would be reasonable. Toronto should be able to do a bit better, considering Gausman’s talent level.
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