Is Kevin Gausman's tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays coming to an end?
The 46-55 Blue Jays are expected to be sellers heading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and Gausman, a pending free agent, has been involved in trade speculation as of late. The 35-year-old admitted after his start on Tuesday that he is well aware of all the rumours surrounding his future.
It seems that a trade involving Gausman could come at any time, and though it remains to be seen where he will end up, we now know of several teams he won't be pitching for this season.
Gausman's eight-team no-trade list was revealed by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Wednesday. Several of the teams on the list are well outside the playoffs, though there are some good teams listed also, including the NL Central Division leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Here's a look at all eight teams on his no-trade list:
Seeing teams like the Reds, Athletics, and Mets on Gausman's list comes as no surprise. They are all struggling immensely this season and have little to no shot when it comes to making the playoffs.
On the other hand, you have two divison leaders in the Brewers and White Sox, along with a Pirates team currenlty in a wild-card position. The Mariners, meanwhile, sit just two games back of the Boston Red Sox for a wild-card spot.
What Gausman's reasoning is for a few of those teams is anyone's best guess, though blocking trades to those particular organizations is well within his right.
Gausman is far from the only Blue Jays player rumoured to be on the trade block, as several other names including Daulton Varsho, Shane Bieber, Jesus Sanchez, Jeff Hoffman, and George Springer are all candidates to be moved.
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