Blue Jays Make Their Huge Free Agent Splash

 

Unable (or unwilling) to bring back Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, the Toronto Blue Jays went the next-best route, signing his near-equal, Kevin Gausman, to a huge 5-year, $110M contract. 

Remember that the #BlueJays won more games this year than the team that won the World Series and already had a dynamic position-player core in place.

They now have Gausman, Berrios, Manoah and Pearson under control thru at least 2026, plus Ryu thru 2023. Dangerous team.

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 29, 2021

As noted by Jayson Stark of The Athletic, that pretty much sets up the Toronto starting rotation for the next few years, with Gausman, Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and (they hope) Nate Pearson. 

Gausman has bumped up his strikeout rate in recent years, and had his career year with the San Francisco Giants in 2021, going 14-6 in a league-leading 33 starts, with a career-best 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. 

The Blue Jays won out over a number of high-bidding teams for the 31-year-old's services, once it became apparent to them that their own Cy Young Winner was out of their price range. Many rated Gausman as the top free agent pitcher on the market. 

According to one source, Gausman turned down a larger offer from the New York Mets.

Like Robbie Ray, the earlier stage of Gausman's career suggested no hints about a forthcoming free agent 9-figure windfall, however, as he compiled a combined a middling 4.22 ERA along with a 1.34 WHIP over six seasons, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles. 

But upon arriving in San Francisco in 2020, he found the magic elixir, when he was able to refine his splitter, to give him a deadly two-pitch combo along with his fastball. His strikeouts soared, and with it, his effectiveness, launching him to All-Star status in 2021. 

Photo Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports