As we approach the 2026 season, the Blue Jays’ core features some notable players whose contracts are nearing expiration.

At the top of that list is Kevin Gausman, who’s entering the final year of the 5-year, $110 million deal he signed with Toronto in the winter of 2021. With the front office showing fans that they are not afraid to spend money with the likes of the Dodgers, Mets and other franchises, they got a great bargain with Gausman’s contract.

Although the current offseason task list is front and centre, and the end of 2026 is still a ways away, Ross Atkins has to consider visions of what this team will look like long term and should Kevin Gausman stick around at the end of his current deal.

In the first four seasons in Toronto, Gausman has put up a 48-41 record with a 3.48 ERA across 125 starts with the club. He has also recorded 793 strikeouts and is on pace to hit 800 this coming season. He’s also thrown three complete games, two of those being shutouts. His 11.2 WAR stands out as the best of any team he has pitched with over his MLB career. In the 2025 postseason, Gausman was lights out with a 2.95 ERA in five starts (he appeared out of the bullpen in Game 7 of the ALCS).

Gausman has truly etched his mark on the Blue Jays franchise as he is ranked seventh all-time in strikeouts and 16th in all-time wins. He’s been a go-to arm for the Jays in numerous occasions and has been a very dependable starter for Toronto since taking his talents North of the border.

By the time his contract ends, Gausman will be 36 years old, and the team will have to decide if extending him is in the cards.

On one hand, Gausman has been a two-time All-Star with the organization and has been a pillar of the team’s rotation. As of now, the only players in the rotation under control till 2027 and beyond are newly signed Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios, should he not opt out at the end of 2026.

Considering Gausman is making $23 million this season, odds are his market value may still be within that range, given his production over his five years in Toronto and how the current market is paying top dollar for established starters. While he may not make the same rate that he earned on his current deal, there is some gas left in the tank for Gausman to still earn another shorter-term deal post-2026.

Obviously, with the likes of Yesavage, Johnny King, Gage Stanifer, Adam Macko, Ricky Tiedemann, and others hoping to come up in the majors within the next couple of seasons, should an extension be offered for Gausman, it would not be one for the long term.

If I had to speculate on a deal that can work for both sides, I would say a bridge deal of about a 2-year term, paying Kevin around $17 million a season. While that may seem a bit steep given the right-hander will be 38 when the deal is done, it can open up new opportunities to younger pitchers to command the spotlight while he sticks around and provides tutelage similar to that of Max Scherzer.