Blue Jays dumpster fire could make for SF Giants reunion that is long overdue

The SF Giants may be off to a non-ideal start to the season as they sit at 9-13, but looking around MLB there are teams that have had it worse. The Toronto Blue Jays, fresh off nearly winning the World Series, are 8-13 on the season thus far. If they do not get any better and end up having a bad year, that could potentially lead to a Giants reunion with starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

The right-handed ace is going to be a free agent following the season so if Toronto is in a position to sell at the trade deadline then the Giants could make a deal for him to boost the starting rotation.

Blue Jays struggles could open the door to SF Giants reunion with Kevin Gausman

In five starts this season, Gausman has a 2.54 ERA with 35 strikeouts and just six walks in 28 and 1/3 innings of work. He looks like the exact same guy he’s been pretty much every season since Toronto signed him to a five-year, $110 million contract following the 2021 season.

Many Giants fans still lament the fact that San Francisco did not sign Gausman to a long-term deal following that magical 2021 season. Gausman was a journeyman pitcher who appeared lost until he joined the Giants in 2020 and started throwing his splitter to great effect. 

2021 was a great year for both Gausman and the Giants as the veteran made it to his first career All-Star Game and the team won a franchise record 107 games. It seemed natural to bring him back, but instead the Giants decided to go cheap by bringing back Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani.

Gausman has made that decision look foolish, pitching to a collective 3.45 ERA since joining the Blue Jays. He was an All-Star in 2023 and has made 31 starts or more each season.

Imagine how good San Francisco’s rotation could have been had the Giants paired up Logan Webb and Gausman atop it for years. It’s not unreasonable to think the Giants would’ve made the playoffs at least once or twice since 2021 had they done that.

Yet, they didn’t. The rotation has been a perennial question mark and point of consternation pretty much ever since. But the Giants can rectify that mistake by trading for Gausman and setting things right.

Of course, the only way a trade would make sense is if Toronto does not rebound by the summer. They’re off to a bad start but they have a pretty stacked roster so it wouldn’t be shocking if they were back on track by then. The Giants would also have to be somewhat in contention at the trade deadline which is far from a given. As long as they’re roughly at .500 they should be within striking distance of the Wild Card which would warrant making a big trade for Gausman.

It would not change the fact that the Giants messed up by not signing Gausman to a long-term deal, but the last time the Giants made the playoffs it was thanks in large part to the veteran pitcher so maybe bringing him back is the way they can finally return to the postseason. 

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