7 veterans the Blue Jays could sign this offseason to grant Kevin Gausman his wish

We've mentioned time and time (and time and time) again that the 2024 campaign has been a complete dud for the Toronto Blue Jays. It ... doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. On paper, the club was supposed to be a team that'd contend, but from the get-go, it became clear that that wasn't going to happen.

There have been a ton of different reasons the Blue Jays have fallen short, but one thing's for sure: they're going to need to change quite a bit from top to bottom in the upcoming offseason if they're going to try to contend one last time with the Bo Bichette-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. core. It sounds as if that's the organization's intention.

One player in particular that is on this year's staff and will be a crucial part of next year's as well is Kevin Gausman. In a recent piece penned by the Toronto Sun's Rob Longley, Gausman made some comments that, well, raised some eyebrows. Not in a bad way, either. The veteran pointed to the fact that he's not getting any younger and that he wants to see the organization capitalize on their talent while he's still around.

He also mentioned that the Blue Jays need some additional leadership on the players side. “Time will tell,” Gausman said on how GM Ross Atkins will tackle the offseason. “Obviously we’ll see what the front office does. Listen, we need some veteran players, no doubt about that. We’ve got some young guys who can really play, but we need some veterans to kind of show ’em how to do things and be there because even our established guys are still young."

That's a loaded quote for sure, and he's got a point. Gausman went on to say that Justin Turner, who the Blue Jays traded at the deadline, is the exact type of player they need more of. Turner is a multi-time All-Star, he's got a ton of postseason experience and he's very well-respected around the league.

Gausman wants some veteran leadership brought aboard this offseason; that much is clear. Let's take a look around the 2024-2025 free agent market and identify some of the potential targets the Blue Jays could pursue that'd fit this bill. We won't count any players that aren't in their 30s and, well, the older the better. If a player can make it around or to their 40s in the big leagues, it means they're doing something right.

Let's dive into seven veterans the Blue Jays could sign that'd grant Gausman his wish.