Kevin Gausman admits there's a chance he just played his last home game in Toronto

Kevin Gausman knows Tuesday's game at Rogers Centre may have been his last home start in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform.

With the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline fast approaching and the veteran starter in the final year of his contract, Gausman's name has emerged in trade rumours as a potential deadline asset to bolster a contender's starting rotation.

After the Blue Jays' 12-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Gausman was asked if the thought of Tuesday's game being his final home start was on his mind.

"I'm not going to think about that too much because I'm a Blue Jay right now. The focus is on this team," Gausman told reporters.

"But yeah, it's crazy to think about."

Kevin Gausman on tonight’s game potentially being his last as a Blue Jay: pic.twitter.com/EqH2CW9Y2j

— Off The Roster (@OffTheRosterPod) July 22, 2026

The 35-year-old went 3 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits as Toronto dropped its third-straight game.

Gausman admitted that trade rumours are impossible to ignore with social media nowadays and said the players are coming to terms with the reality that changes could be made soon.

"We kind of all know what's going on. Unfortunately, we knew we needed to come out of the [second-half] gate strong, and we really haven't. We just haven’t played very well lately."

The veteran right-hander was also asked what he believed had changed from where Toronto stood at this point last season.

"We've just had some bad luck and also haven't been playing clean baseball, especially on the defensive side," he said.

Tuesday marked the second straight game in which the Blue Jays committed more than three defensive errors. Toronto ranks among the worst defensive teams in Major League Baseball, ahead of only the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals.

Gausman has also now gone 10 consecutive starts without earning a win.

He has spent the past five seasons in a Blue Jays uniform, having signed a five-year, $110 million contract ahead of the 2022 season. During that span, Gausman has earned a 2023 All-Star selection, finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting, and led the AL with 237 strikeouts that same season.

Kevin Gausman sits seventh among all-time Toronto Blue Jays pitchers in strikeouts (909). (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

During his time with the Jays, Gausman has become one of the franchise's all-time great starting pitchers. He ranks seventh in strikeouts and second in strikeouts per nine innings, trailing only the great Tom Henke.

With Toronto heading on a six-game road trip on Friday, Gausman's next start is expected on Sunday or Monday — one that could be the final of his storied Blue Jays career.