Kevin Gausman spent Saturday doing what he has done so often in Toronto: giving the Blue Jays a chance, earning the crowd’s trust, and reminding everyone why his time here has meant so much.
The outing itself was solid rather than electric. In Toronto’s 5-1 win over the St.
Louis Cardinals, Gausman worked 5.2 innings and allowed one earned run on nine hits while striking out four and walking one. It wasn’t the sort of start that overpowered St.
Louis, but it was the kind that kept the game under control and showed how he can still work through traffic when he’s not at his sharpest.
That may have been what made the moment feel so heavy. As he came off the field to a standing ovation, Gausman patted his hand over his heart and took in the crowd before heading down the tunnel. Afterward, he made no attempt to hide how much Toronto has come to mean to him.
“I’ve embraced not just the team but the country, I really love this city and everything that it stands for. This has been the best decision I’ve ever made to come here," Gausman told reporters after the game.
That kind of connection makes the trade deadline conversation awkward. The Blue Jays are still on the outside edge of the American League Wild Card race, and with the Aug. 3 deadline approaching, emotion alone may not be enough to keep one of the organization’s most successful free-agent signings in the clubhouse.
Gausman’s performance against the Cardinals may only sharpen the debate. He entered this stretch with a 4.51 ERA, a number pushed up by a rough run from mid-June through mid-July. But even with the uneven season, he still looks like the sort of arm contenders chase when they need stability and strike-throwing.
That’s part of why his name keeps coming up in the same breath as other deadline arms. Teams that could be in the mix for a pitcher like Gausman include the D-backs, Rangers, Braves, Cubs, and Padres.
Toronto, if it does decide to deal him, should have a market. The question is whether it can get the return it wants.
The comparison point is already there. Tarik Skubal landed with the Dodgers and Luis Castillo went to the surprising Chicago White Sox, who are currently leading the AL Central. Skubal’s deal helped build a super-rotation for the reigning World Series champions, while Castillo was moved after a stretch in which he had been giving the Mariners strong production.
The Mariners received former Blue Jays reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catcher/outfielder Boston Smith, who was the No. 15 prospect in Chicago’s system. Some around the game thought Detroit came up light in the Skubal deal, while others saw the Mariners do well in the Castillo return.
There is still another path, though: Toronto could decide Gausman remains part of its future.
At the start of the season, Gausman suggested 2026 might be his final year. That tone has shifted as the year has gone on, and he has since said he would be open to staying in Toronto beyond 2026. Even so, he said there has been no extension discussion with the club.
“No, that hasn’t been talked about,” Gausman told Sportsnet. “The focus was on this year, especially after last season.
I’m definitely open to that, but we’ll see. I need to sit down and talk to my family and figure out the next step after this season.
The focus is still obviously on this season and this team and this organization.”
What Toronto got from him from 2022 through 2025 is exactly what it hoped for when it signed him: 31 or 32 starts every year, a combined 3.48 ERA, strikeouts at more than a quarter of the batters he faced and very few walks. He was also excellent in last postseason, finishing with a 2.93 ERA over 30.2 innings as the Blue Jays came painfully close to winning the World Series.
That track record is why this feels so difficult for Toronto fans. Gausman has been one of the best free-agent signings in team history, maybe the best. And after Saturday, the possibility that his next start in Toronto might not happen at all feels a lot more real.
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