Blue Jays Land Kevin Gausman, Lose Robbie Ray to Mariners

The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms on a five-year, $110 million contract with a fastball-throwing starting pitcher. After betting on himself and signing a one-year, prove-it styled deal, he went on to post record numbers, in turn earning the second-largest contract ever awarded to a pitcher in Blue Jays’ franchise history.

No, this player is not Robbie Ray, but rather 30-year-old right-hander Kevin Gausman.

Although Jays fans will be a little disappointed to learn that the American League Cy Young Award winner has signed a five-year deal with the Seattle Mariners for the 2022 MLB season, they can take solace in the fact that Gausman – the longtime Baltimore Orioles starter – wanted to join the team on a long-term contract.

“I love Toronto, it’s one of my favourite cities, I’ve always loved playing there,” Gausman said of Toronto when asked about the Blue Jays at the 2021 All-Star Game. “It has a special place in my heart because I made my debut in Toronto and they made a very competitive offer to me.”

After expressing heavy interest in the 6-foot-2, 190-pound nine-year pro last season, Blue Jays’ management landed their man one season later, after Gausman signed the one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer presented by the San Francisco Giants prior to 2021.

“But the one for $18.9 million was just too much to pass up,” he added of the Giants’ qualifying offer. “I was going back to a place where I felt comfortable with all the people that I knew were going to be in place, from the pitching coach to the manager, to all the strength coaches, knowing that they were just going to let me do what I did the year before and had success doing. All of those things factored into it.”

He went 14-6 with 227 strikeouts in 192 innings pitched for the Giants last season. Hi 2.81 ERA and 1.042 WHIP were both career highs, while he only allowed 50 walks on the season for the Major League leading 107-win Giants. Gausman also finished sixth in National League Cy Young voting and made his first career appearance at the All-Star Game this past year. He owns a career 64-72 record and a 4.02 ERA with the Orioles, Giants and Atlanta Braves.

Despite being nine months older than Robbie Ray, the Jays are getting a similarly styled pitcher in exchange for the one that signed with the Mariners on a similar five-year, $115 million contract. Other than the fact that they throw the ball with different hands, both have had recent struggles to which they bet on themselves and put together stellar 2021 seasons. Losing Ray will hurt, but with Gausman signing on for five more years, the team is looking very bright on the mound.

That said, spending $22 million per season on Kevin Gausman, only to lose Robbie Ray for $23 million per season will certainly sting – at least in the short term.

Just two weeks ago, Toronto extended Jose Berrios on a seven-year, $131 million contract, while Hyun-Jin Ryu still has this coming season and the next on his four-year deal with the Jays. 2021 rookie pitching sensation Alek Manoah will likely remain under team control through 2027, so the core is certainly around for the long-term future. Throw in a healthy Nate Pearson and Toronto’s likely starting-five should be one of the deadliest rotations not only the A.L. East, but in all of baseball.

With youngsters Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in place for the foreseeable future, last year’s signing of George Springer opened the door to a deep playoff push for many years to come. Despite finishing with a better record than the World Series-winning Atlanta Braves and having swept the team in the six-game season series, Toronto was unable to make it to the postseason, thanks in large part to a series of injuries.

With Springer and Teoscar Hernandez managing the majority of the outfield, the Jays will need to add a second baseman for 2022 as A.L. MVP finalist Marcus Semien signed a seven-year, $175 million deal with the Texas Rangers, following an MLB record-setting 2021 season.

Still, potentially in the market for a fifth man to add to the rotation, as well as an infielder, the Jays’s front office is not yet done with the free-agent class of 2022.