How the Kevin Gausman signing continues to be Ross Atkins' signature free agent deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have put themselves in a great spot because of some solid free agency maneuvers. GM Ross Atkins deserves the benefit of the doubt because of some shrewd moves the past few offseason's. One such free agent signing who has earned his money north of the border is starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

Gausman signed a five-year, $110 million dollar contract with the Blue Jays a few weeks after the club missed the 2021 playoffs by one game. His signing represented the beginning of a competitive window that would catapult the Blue Jays officially out of rebuild mode.

How the Kevin Gausman signing continues to be Ross Atkins' signature free agent deal

With the benefit of hindsight regarding free agent pitching contracts, that $22 million AAV doesn't look so expensive. The Blue Jays have unlocked a tremendous amount of value from this contract alone.

Along with Gausman, the Blue Jays inked Yusei Kikuchi, José Berrios, George Springer and a whole host of others with the intention of competing for playoff spots. The Blue Jays were taking a gamble because Gausman was still trying to unlock that level of consistency Toronto fans have grown accustomed to. Remember that Toronto needed to replace the production of 2021 AL CY Young Award winner Robbie Ray, who departed in free agency that winter.

Gausman found success with the San Francisco Giants in 2021. A two-time All-Star, he led the league in starts (33) and posted a 2.81 ERA in 192 innings en route to a 6th place finish in AL CY Young Voting Award voting during that 2021 season.

ESPN's Buster Olney recently remarked about just how durable Gausman has been. His steady production can be easy to overlook, but Gausman has been worth every penny in his four seasons with Toronto. He's pitched to a 48-41 record and 3.48 ERA over 125 starts and 733.2 innings, with 793 strikeouts and 189 walks since the start of the 2022 season.

Gausman is a leader for the Blue Jays clubhouse. The native of Colorado was vocal about the bitterly disappointing 2024 season and vowed that the club would turn their fortunes around. He backed that up with his production, pitching to a 3.59 ERA in 193 innings, with a 24.4% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate. The Blue Jays may have a difficult time replacing that personality in the clubhouse following the 2026 campaign.

His numbers remained strong during the Blue Jays postseason run in 2025. His biggest problem was a lack of run support even if the box score paints another picture. It was a turnaround from his performance in Game 1 of the 2023 AL Wild Card series, when he permitted three runs on two home runs in four innings.

Gausman will still be playing a very important role on the 2026 Blue Jays. Entering his 14th professional season, Gausman will be a free agent at the end of the year. He will be a veteran mentor for a young Trey Yesavage as he navigates a full regular season for the first time. Yesavage could benefit immensely from having someone like Gausman teaching him about pitching in between starts in the dugout.

Gausman is still searching for that elusive World Series ring and the Blue Jays could offer him that opportunity after a winding career that has taken him from being drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2012 to being DFA'd by the Atlanta Braves to the present moment.