The Toronto Blue Jays have had a disappointing follow-up year after they reached the World Series last fall and came to within two outs of a championship. This season, they have fallen to last place in the American League East.
At 50-59 on the season entering Friday’s action, they are looking like surefire sellers with the trade deadline just a few days away, and they have a lot of players that contending teams might take interest in.
One player who has been floated as a trade candidate is right-hander Kevin Gausman. He hasn’t had his best season, going 4-10 with a 4.51 ERA in 22 starts, but he has struck out 123 batters over 121 2/3 innings pitched. In the latest trade deadline big board courtesy of The Athletic, Gausman was ranked as a top trade candidate and was connected to three teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs.
“Kevin Gausman has been a remarkable outcome for a two-pitch pitcher without top-shelf velocity. Using great command of both his four-seam and splitter, he’s been a steadying force for the Blue Jays. Only two pitchers (Logan Webb and Framber Valdez) have thrown more innings since Gausman signed with Toronto, and his 3.21 ERA over that time frame was supported by strong strikeout, walk, and home run rates. The strikeout and home run rates, though, have been in decline for a few years now, and have mirrored his flagging four-seamer velocity. Usually closer to 95 mph, he’s slipped under 94 for the year and has two games with sub-93 mph velocity on the fastball. Nobody wants to pay ace prices on the market for yesterday’s ace.”
Three NL Teams Named Fits for Kevin Gausman
Gausman actually previously pitched with the Braves for parts of 2018 and 2019, so if he were to be traded there, he wouldn’t be going somewhere unfamiliar. They have had a lot of injuries on the pitching side this season. Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are both on the 60-day injured list.
So, another top-level arm to go with Chris Sale would make sense for the Braves and would give them a chance to have a bit of a deeper run in October.
The Diamondbacks have been without Corbin Burnes for some time, and they’ll need a frontline starter to win a playoff series. Pairing him with Eduardo Rodriguez, Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka would give them that chance, and Burnes’ eventual return would make them even stronger.
The Cubs at least have a few more recognizable names in their rotation, but have been hit hard by injuries over the past two years. They’ll have Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd, but could always use more.
Which Team Needs Kevin Gausman the Most?
The Cubs and Braves at least have a few frontline options, so Arizona is likely the team that needs Gausman the most, especially if they are dealing with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs.
That could make a huge difference for Arizona as they try to get back to the postseason after two straight years out to follow up their World Series appearance.
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