Kevin Gausman Trade Destinations: Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs or D-backs?

It's getting harder and harder for me to deny that the Blue Jays are going to do some selling over the next six days. They're 49-58 on the season and 4-7 since the All-Star break. The PECOTA projection system has long been a believer in this Blue Jays team, but that belief is starting to wane; their postseason odds have fallen to 1-in-10. 

If the Blue Jays do sell, they'll probably only shop their rentals. And of their impending free agents, the most valuable trade chip is Kevin Gausman. 

Gausman is No. 10 on DiamondCentric's ranking of this year's top trade candidates. He's sixth among pitchers and second among rental starters, behind only Tarik Skubal. 

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Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
RHP - Age: 35 - FA: Nov. 2026 - Salary: $23M

There are days when, as they say, the splitter ain’t splittin’, and on those days, Gausman gets frighteningly hittable in a hurry. The rest of the time, though, he’s as steady and sturdy as a starter comes these days. He fills up the zone and gets ample swings and misses, especially with that splitter. He can dominate, and he has a solid postseason track record. The Blue Jays, who look unlikely to emerge from the quagmire into which they’ve sunk in the standings, are likely to deal Gausman, rather than let him walk for free this winter. His salary is substantial, but Toronto is one team who should be willing to eat the money to maximize the return they realize in a trade. There are many harder-throwing starters a team might pursue this month, but few who are as likely to have a positive impact on a postseason run.

Gausman offers a rare combination of dominance and durability, and if the Blue Jays are willing to pay down some of his salary, the 35-year-old should be a fit for just about every contending team that needs a starting pitcher. With that said, here are a few teams that should definitely be giving the Blue Jays a call.

Why the Phillies Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman

The Phillies are in a precarious position. They're seven games above .500, but their run differential is -12. If they're serious about competing – and they should be, considering their expensive, aging core – they need to make at least one big swing at the trade deadline. 

Ideally, they would improve their offense, but the trade market has a lot more supply on the pitching side. That's not a problem for the Phillies. They have one of the best rotations in the majors, but that's only because of their top three starters: Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo. They don't have a fourth starter they can trust in the playoffs, and they don't have a fifth starter at all. 

I wrote about the Phillies' deadline needs for Just Baseball, and the staff there came up with this mock trade to bring Gausman to Philly.

• Phillies get Kevin Gausman
• Blue Jays get Ramon Marquez (BA Phillies No. 4) and Carson DeMartini (BA Phillies No. 15)

Why the Dodgers Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman

Like the Phillies, the Dodgers don't need another ace. They already have Yoshinobu Yamamoto leading their rotation, and they're hoping to have Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani back pitching before too long. In a best-case scenario for the Dodgers, 2026 All-Star Justin Wrobleski wouldn't even have a spot in their postseason rotation.

That said, the Dodgers aren't a team that counts on the best-case scenario. They know how rarely that works out. That's why they're the back-to-back reigning World Series champions. 

Eric Lauer, a pitcher Toronto discarded, has been starting for L.A. over the past two months. Admittedly, he's been a lot better for the Dodgers than he was for the Blue Jays earlier this year, but still, the Dodgers don't want to wind up in a situation where they're counting on Lauer to make a start in a playoff game. They're almost certain to add a starter at the trade deadline. Considering all of the question marks in the rotation right now, they might jump at the chance to pick up one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the game.

Our own Matthew Creally recently proposed a mock trade that would send Gausman to the Dodgers. Here's what that looked like:

• Dodgers get Kevin Gausman
• Blue Jays get Charles Davalan (BA Dodgers No. 7) and Dylan Tate

Why the Cubs Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman

Paul Niemiec of North Side Baseball recently ranked Chicago's trade deadline priorities, and a top-of-the-rotation starter was No. 1 with a bullet.

To be honest, the Cubs should probably aim even higher than Gausman, given the state of their rotation. Skubal could help the North Siders more than maybe any other team. However, I'm not convinced Jed Hoyer will shell out for the two-time Cy Young winner. Even if he were willing to, there's no guarantee the Cubs would win that bidding war. Gausman would be a nice consolation prize for a team that should be more desperate for starting pitching than any other contender. 

Our friends at Just Baseball also came up with a Gausman mock trade between the Blue Jays and Cubs. Take a look:

• Cubs get Kevin Gausman
• Blue Jays get Brooks Caple (BA Cubs No. 19) and Juan Cabada (BA Cubs No. 14)

Why the Diamondbacks Would Want To Trade for Kevin Gausman

In the last section, I said the Cubs should be more desperate for starting pitching than any other contender. The reason I said that is because I think the Cubs could be serious World Series contenders with a better top of the rotation. 

However, I don't think the Cubs are the contender with the worst rotation. That title belongs to the Diamondbacks. The D-backs are 55-52, tied for the second Wild Card spot, and I'm not sure they have a single starter I'd feel great about giving the ball to in a postseason game. 

Eduardo Rodriguez was their All-Star, but his sub-3.00 ERA is completely unsustainable. Only four qualified pitchers have a higher xERA, and one of them is his teammate Merrill Kelly. Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka could return from the IL down the stretch, but Gallen has looked even worse than he did last year, and Soroka hasn't thrown more than 100 innings in a season since 2019.

If the Diamondbacks can make the playoffs, having Gausman available to start in the Wild Card series would significantly increase their chances of advancing. 

Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs mocked Gausman to the Diamondbacks earlier today. Here is his trade proposal:

• Diamondbacks get Kevin Gausman
• Blue Jays get Druw Jones (BA Diamondbacks No. 17) and Mitch Bratt (BA Diamondbacks No. 12)

Any thoughts on these mock trade proposals? Any other teams you think I should have considered? Leave a comment and let me know!

View our top trade candidates list, up to nearly 70 names and updated regularly!