As Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman enters the final season of his five-year, US $110 million deal he signed with Toronto (a contract that helped reshape the team’s rotation heading into 2022), he’s become noticeably reflective about what comes next.
This week in Dunedin, Fla., the Jays right-hander didn’t exactly dismiss the idea that his time in the MLB could be nearing the end.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Gausman acknowledged retirement has been on his mind during the offseason as he enters the final year of his contract with Toronto.
“I think it’s definitely a possibility,” Gausman said Wednesday. “I have really loved my time here. Do I know what’s ahead of me? I don’t really know. No idea. It’s something that I have definitely thought about in the offseason. But now that we’re here, I’m just focused on this year. I’m gonna give everything I have for this organization and this team this year. What’s beyond that? I really have no idea.”
That possibility lands differently coming from a player like Gausman. He’s 35 and heading into his 14th major-league season. And on paper, there’s nothing about his recent performance that suggests it’s time to go.
In 2025, he logged 193 innings with a 3.59 ERA and 189 strikeouts, and played a huge part in helping the Jays reach the 2025 World Series.
So why raise the possibility now? It appears to come down to time, and, more specifically, where he wants to spend it.
“My kids are only getting older,” Gausman told The Athletic. “The more you push that envelope, the more you’re risking. What’s the positive? What’s the negative? Do I get home and really only have a couple more years of them even wanting to be around you?”
With the 2026 season set to begin March 27, Jays fans have at least one more year to watch Gausman at the top of the rotation (whatever he decides comes next).
