Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman places third in 2023 AL Cy Young voting

The results are in, and to no one’s surprise, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has won the 2023 American League Cy Young Award, earning all 30 first-place votes.

Kevin Gausman, a Cy Young finalist for the first time in his career, finished third in voting behind Cole and runner-up Sonny Gray. The Toronto Blue Jays ace scored 82 points after receiving seven second-place votes, 15 third-place, four fourth-place and one fifth-place.

The 32-year-old dominated in his second season of a five-year, $110-million contract signed during the 2021-22 off-season, posting a 3.16 ERA and 2.97 FIP across 185.0 innings over 31 starts. He was worth 5.3 fWAR, a few decimal points lower than his 5.7 rating in Year 1 with the franchise, but still the second-highest of his career.

Gausman led the American League in strikeouts (237) this past season, finishing second in the majors to Atlanta’s Spencer Strider.

Chris Bassitt also earned recognition for his outstanding inaugural campaign with the franchise, as he received a third-place and fifth-place vote for this year’s award. The 34-year-old, after signing a three-year deal worth $63 million last winter, registered a 3.60 ERA with a career-high 186 strikeouts while reaching the 200 innings mark in 33 starts, worth 2.6 fWAR.

This marks the fourth straight year that a Blue Jays pitcher has finished among the top three in AL Cy Young voting, with Gausman joining Hyun Jin Ryu (2020), Robbie Ray (who won in 2021) and Alek Manoah (2022).

Given the talent level of Toronto’s projected 2024 rotation, they’ll likely have a strong chance to extend that streak to five consecutive next season.