Jays land Gausman

*Photo from The Advocate*

   The Toronto Blue Jays knew that this offseason, they would have to make meaningful and solid upgrades to both the starting and relief pitching. After signing some bullpen help in the form of Yimi Garcia, they pivoted towards the rotation. The Blue Jays and RHP Kevin Gausman have agreed to a 5 year, $110 million deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Blue Jays have confirmed the deal.

   This offseason, the Blue Jays finally landed Gausman, after showing strong interest in him last offseason, turning down a multi year offer from Toronto to return to the San Francisco Giants. Gausman immediately jumps to the top of the Blue Jays rotation, a group that is already much improved then it was at the beginning of last season. Gausman has been known to be dependable and reliable, which the Blue Jays were looking for.

   Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said that "This is what Kevin has been. And it’s something that is exceptionally attractive to us, along with one of the best secondary weapons in the game, a remarkable track record thus far as a professional, as a teammate and as a human being. To be realizing his potential, and then some, at this point in his career just speaks to his desire to be better."

   Before joining them, the Blue Jays already had some familiarity with Gausman's style, as they watched him pitch against them as a member of the Baltimore Orioles from 2013 to 2018, after he was chosen by Baltimore with the 4th overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. After two seasons with the Giants, Gausman finally had his breakout as one of the more effective starters in baseball.

   After strong numbers in 2020, Gausman accepted the qualifying offer and put up even better numbers in 2021. Gausman pitched to a 14-6 record with a 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, striking out 227 hitters while issuing just 50 walks, throwing 192 innings across 33 starts for the Giants, making his first career all star game in the process.

   Gausman talked about the strong tenure he had with the Giants, saying that "I feel more confident in myself now than I ever have in my career. It’s just about being really good at what you’re great at. My command has gotten better, and I just have a better overall feel for who I am and what I need to do to have success."

   Across 9 seasons in the majors spent with 4 different teams, Gausman has a 64-72 record with a 1.28 WHIP and 4.02 ERA, tossing 1,177 1/3 innings while making 197 starts and an additional 39 relief appearances. In 6 career playoff games, Gausman has an 0-1 record in one start and 5 relief appearances, allowing 7 runs in 16 innings pitched.

   The signing of Gausman gives Toronto all of a sudden one of the better rotations in the AL, if not all of baseball. Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Hyun-Jin Ryu represent a deadly top 3, with youngsters Alek Manoah and Nate Pearson fighting for a rotation spot along with Ross Stripling when spring training begins.