Kevin Gausman not ready to leave Toronto, but Blue Jays may have no choice after his last start

Kevin Gausman does not want to say goodbye to Toronto. After what could have been his final start at Rogers Centre before the trade deadline on Saturday (Aug. 1) he made it clear how deeply he has connected with the Blue Jays, the city of Toronto and the country of Canada that he has represented since signing his five-year deal.

“I’ve embraced not just the team but the country, I really love this city and everything that it stands for. This has been the best decision I’ve ever made to come here," Gausman told reporters after the game.

That is what makes this situation so uncomfortable. With the club still sitting on the outside edge of the American League Wild Card race and the deadline closing in, sentiment may not be enough to keep one of the organization’s most successful recent free-agent signings, if not one of their best free-agent signings of all-time, in the clubhouse beyond the Aug. 3 deadline.

As he walked off the field to a standing ovation, during the Blue Jays' 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals he patted his hand over his heart and took in the crowd before heading down the tunnel to collect himself.

It's this start though, that might make a trade involving Gausman more inevitable. He was not overpowering against St. Louis, but he was good enough as he worked 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run on nine hits, struck out four and walked just one. It was not a dominant start, but it was a reminder that even in an up-and-down season, Gausman can still navigate traffic, limit damage and give a team competitive innings against a quality lineup. For a contender that missed out on Tarik Skubal or Luis Castillo they could be turning to Gausman next.

Skubal ended up with the Dodgers to form a super-rotation for the reigning World Series champions. Castillo was picked up by the surprising Chicago White Sox, who are currently leading the AL Central.

Gausman's overall numbers are not as good as they have been in past seasons, he entered this stretch with a 4.51 ERA, inflated by a rough run from mid-June through mid-July. But he lies right in between the kind of production Skubal had given Detroit and what Castillo had offered the Marniers before those respective trades.

Teams that could be in the hunt for a Gausman type arm include the D-backs, Rangers, Braves, Cubs, and Padres, just to name a few. So the Blue Jays will have plenty of suitors, it's just a matter of maximizing the return - if they move him at all. While many felt the Tigers return for Skubal was underwhelming, the Mariners may have done well in what they got for Castillo.

The Mariners got back former Blue Jays' reliever Seranthony Dominguez, as well as outfielder Nolan Jones and catcher/outfielder Boston Smith, who was the No. 15 prospect in Chicago's system. But there's also another angle here, where the Blue Jays may decide that Gausman still has a future in Toronto beyond this season.

Gausman's future still unclear but extension talks haven't happened with Blue Jays

At the beginning of the season Gausman hinted at 2026 possibly being his last year. But as the season has gone on, he's wavered in those sentiments and expressed his desire to play in Toronto beyond 2026. However, according to Gausman, those feelings haven't been reciprocal.

“No, that hasn’t been talked about,” Gausman told Sportsnet. “The focus was on this year, especially after last season. I’m definitely open to that, but we’ll see. I need to sit down and talk to my family and figure out the next step after this season. The focus is still obviously on this season and this team and this organization.”

From 2022 through 2025, Gausman gave the Blue Jays exactly what they hoped for when they signed him. He made 31 or 32 starts each year, posted a combined 3.48 ERA, struck out more than a quarter of the batters he faced and walked very few. He was also excellent last postseason, posting a 2.93 ERA over 30.2 innings as Toronto came painfully close to winning the World Series.

That résumé builds Gausman as one of the best, if not, the best free-agent signing in team history which makes this entire ordeal even harder to stomach for Blue Jays' fans.

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