The Blue Jays were after an impact starter this offseason, and they found one in a pitcher they’ve long coveted.
Kevin Gausman and the Blue Jays agreed to terms on a five-year, $110 million deal Sunday night, a source told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, confirming multiple reports. The club has not yet announced the signing.
For the third straight offseason, the Blue Jays front office has vowed to be a big player on the free-agent market, and again it has delivered, landing one of the top starting pitchers available and continuing to supplement a team led by young stars that, on paper, looks like it can be a contender in the American League East next season and beyond.
Gausman pitched to a 2.81 ERA, 3.00 FIP and 1.04 WHIP in 33 starts with 227 strikeouts in 192 innings last season for the Giants. Since a breakout 2020 season in San Francisco, during which he posted a 3.62 ERA in 59 2/3 innings after leaning into his nasty fastball-splitter combo, the right-hander has experienced a mid-career renaissance of sorts, blossoming into the front-end starter many expected he’d be when he was drafted fourth in 2012. The Blue Jays offered him a three-year contract in the $40 million range last offseason, per Rosenthal, before the right-hander opted to take the $18.9 million qualifying offer from the Giants.
It proved to be a wise, one-year bet, as he pitched better in 2021 and further helped his chances of cashing in on a big free-agent paycheck. This time when the Blue Jays offered him a deal — a much more lucrative one — he accepted it.
