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Blue Jays free agent target: Kevin Gausman
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Photo credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Aidan Sinclair
Oct 29, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 28, 2026, 22:59 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays faced a harsh reality during the 2026 season and learned firsthand that you can never have enough starting pitching. 
Toronto entered Spring Training with close to a dozen options in the starting rotation, yet by mid-September had one healthy arm (José Soriano) and could not fill out a full five-man rotation. Some of those arms who were options at the beginning of the year struggled with injuries such as Cody Ponce, José Berríos, and Shane Bieber, among others. Some underperformed like Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, and Eric Lauer, but the one arm who had enough value on an expiring contract to be traded at the deadline could round out the Blue Jays rotation in 2027. 
Kevin Gausman was a staple in Toronto for nearly five seasons, cementing himself as the team’s ace during their historic 2025 World Series run. He gave everything he had to the city and the country and pitched his heart out with exceptional results along the way. Though he had a down year in 2026 by his standards, he still holds value as a veteran arm that can eat innings and showcase top-tier stuff when he’s at his best. 
The Blue Jays currently have four starting pitchers lined up for 2027 – Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Soriano and Ponce – but have flexibility for the fifth spot. Spencer Arrighetti struggled mightily after coming over from Houston at the trade deadline, Jake Bloss has not been able to stay healthy in the minor leagues, and Spencer Miles may not be ready to make the leap to a full-time starting role. 
Gausman could be a perfect fit at the back end of Toronto’s rotation, already being familiar with the entire staff and having a devoted fanbase that would welcome his return with open arms. Should he return to the Blue Jays, his expectations would not be that of a frontline ace. He would simply need to function as an innings eater who could mentor younger arms like Yesavage and Miles along the way. 
Overall, 2026 was a struggle for the right-hander, posting a 4.38 ERA across 127.1 innings with the Jays before being dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline for Brett Bateman and Ty Southisene, and posting a 4.83 ERA in 50.1 innings down the stretch. It is clear that the length of the 2025 season combined with his age caused wear and tear he could not recover from in 2026. 
There is still reason to believe Gausman could bounce back in 2027, having ranked in the 87th percentile for fastball run value, 88th percentile in Chase% and 86th percentile for BB% a season ago. His signature pitch, the splitter – while not as effective as in years past – was still one of the game’s best, with Gausman inducing a .207 BAA and .331 SLG against the pitch. 
Given the stage of Gausman’s career and his decline in performance, a deal would likely be team-friendly, and the term would certainly be short. The veteran right-hander will be 36 years old come Opening Day and would likely sign for 1-2 years with an AAV between $10 million and $15 million, something that the Blue Jays should be willing to sign. The team has north of $70 million coming off the books, meaning they could sign Gausman to fill out the rotation and still have the ability to sign a top bat on the market. 
Though he was traded at the 2026 deadline, he still ranked second on the Blue Jays for innings pitched, only behind Cease. Let’s not forget just a year ago, Gausman tossed 30.2 innings in October to the tune of a 2.93 ERA and came as close as he possibly could have to donning one of the most iconic pictures in the team’s history. The Blue Jays need one more arm, and who better than a franchise cornerstone to give it one more shot to climb the mountain and finish the job with the team that once upon a time trusted him to be their ace.

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