Kevin Gausman sees logic in Blue Jays’ deadline sell-off despite being part of it

Kevin Gausman continues to be all class, even after his departure from the Toronto Blue Jays. The 35-year-old starting pitcher, who spent the last five years in Toronto, had a chance to reflect on the moves the team made before and during the trade deadline on Monday (Aug. 3).

He told Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, "I’ll be honest, I thought they did really good for the future. They got controllable starters, guys who have really good stuff. The pitching department over there is great. Pete Walker is going to do wonders for those guys.

Gasuman added, “I thought they did a great job taking advantage of the market and, unfortunately, the situation that we put ourselves in. Listen, if a couple of us that got traded would’ve had good years, we’re probably not getting traded.”

That' probably the toughest pill to swallow in all of this. Gausman should've been leading a playoff bound rotation. But his numbers, along with those of many of the Blue Jays returners from last year's American League championship team, just haven't replicated the production they were expected too. Gausman had a 4.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 23 starts with the Blue Jays in 2026.

Daulton Varsho, who was traded to the Houston Astros for pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, was hitting .243/.307/.375 with seven home runs in 99 games. Jeff Hoffman (who has been really good since the beginning of June), struggled out of the gate which led to a bloated ERA that sat above 4.00 for most of the season. He was moved to the Minnesota Twins for a package of prospects headlined by Dasan Hill.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and George Springer have also underwhelmed this season after being key catalysts of last year's run.

It could have been very easy for Gausman to say how much he hated the fact that the Blue Jays wanted to move on from him. And some fans are already taking one of the things he said way out of context. He said to Chicago media, "It's the first time my wife's been here and, after the first day, she said, 'It's so different than Toronto.' I was like, yeah, the focus is baseball. It's real grass. It's outside."

Of course he's going to compliment Chicago on being a "baseball first" type city, with the Cubs being a staple in that city for over a century. Toronto has that same relationship with it's hockey team, the Maple Leafs, who have operated in Toronto for the same amount of time, while the Blue Jays, if you haven't heard, are on season number 50. There might have been a commercial or two about that at some point this year.

Outside of that one line, Gausman has said nothing but positive things about his experience in Toronto and his time with the Blue Jays. His wife Taylor posted a video on her instagram with a heartfelt message that said, "How do I even begin to sum up these last five years? It seems as though we just got here but have always been here at the same time.

There aren’t words to express how grateful we feel to have spent the last 5 seasons as Blue Jays. Our babies have truly grown up in Toronto, becoming some of the biggest (little) Blue Jay fans and we have made some of the best memories we could have ever imagined while being here. Choosing Toronto really was the best decision we could have ever made.”

If that doesn't convince fans, then nothing will.

Kevin Gausman's assessment of Toronto's deadline is an accurate reminder of the Blue Jay's willingness to compete

In the Gausman deal, the Blue Jays got outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene from the Cubs.

Southisene, now ranked as Toronto’s No. 17 prospect, was a fourth-round pick in 2024 and has already shown the ability to control the strike zone in the lower minors. Between Single-A and High-A this season, he is hitting .306 with a .797 OPS in 66 games. The most encouraging part of that profile is the approach: 41 walks against 37 strikeouts, along with 31 stolen bases after swiping 41 bags in 91 games last season.

Bateman, ranked No. 20 in Toronto’s system after the deal, brings a similar table-setting skill set from the outfield. The 24-year-old has plus-plus speed, strong contact skills and the range to handle centre field. He has stolen 83 bases in 315 minor-league games since his first professional season in 2023, and this year at Triple-A Iowa he is slashing .312/.430/.421 with 60 walks, 66 strikeouts, three home runs and a real chance to push his way into the Blue Jays’ roster conversation as soon as next season.

They also focused on pitching, picking up a guy who can replace Gausman in the rotation in 27-year-old José Soriano in a deal with the LA Angels. He is a controllable starter who is not eligible for free agency until after 2028 and could be in line for a contract extension should the Blue Jays and Soriano see each other as long-term fits. In his four year MLB career he owns a 3.72 ERA and 3.79 FIP to go along with 432 strikeouts in 447 innings pitched across 113 games (73 starts).

It's the tough part of the business, separating emotion from business decisions and it's not lost on a lot of fans that Gausman was able to do both. Praising his former employer for doing what they felt was necessary, while at the same time reflecting on his time spent in the organization with nothing but good things to say.

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