The 35-year-old Gausman could end up being one of the players most affected by Toronto\u2019s struggles this year. He is set to hit free agency at the end of the season, and if the Blue Jays opt to sell before Monday\u2019s trade deadline, he would likely be one of the club\u2019s most valuable pieces in a potential deal.<\/p>\n
Every baseball season comes with a new feel and a new challenge, but the 2026 Blue Jays were expected to be right back among the contending clubs in the American League as they returned a large portion of their 2025 core and made some big acquisitions in the off-season.<\/p>\n
But they also lost some longtime members of the organization to free agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we necessarily have the characters we\u2019ve had in the past,\u201d Gausman said. \u201cMax (Scherzer) hasn\u2019t been around as much. I think losing\u00a0(Chris Bassitt)\u00a0was maybe a little bit bigger of a loss than we all thought it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c(Bassitt) and\u00a0Bo (Bichette) are two guys who had been around,\u201d Ernie Clement told Wilner. \u201cThey knew how to win. Any clubhouse wants guys like that and misses guys like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all added up on the Blue Jays this year, as things continue to not shake out in their favour. George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger all missed significant time with injuries; the Blue Jays have gotten limited contributions \u2014 if any \u2014 from rotation candidates Cody Ponce, Jos\u00e9 Berr\u00edos, Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer, and despite being on the field for the most part, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho have been unable to replicate their success from last summer.<\/p>\n
Those on-field factors, combined with a clubhouse that might not be as aligned as it was a year ago, now have the Blue Jays holding on for hope that they can somehow turn their season around.<\/p>\n
Clement wouldn\u2019t go as far as Gausman in admitting that the Blue Jays aren\u2019t as close, but did say that \u201cthere are definitely some differences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a different team, it\u2019s just a different group,\u201d he continued. \u201cI don\u2019t know if (we\u2019re) not as close, but it\u2019s just different. I don\u2019t really know how to explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that winning often proves to be a solution for everything, and with the Blue Jays unable to get their season on track, perhaps it\u2019s no surprise then that they haven\u2019t been able to carry over their 2025 vibes into this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it more so has to do with everybody feeling frustrated, and maybe even frustrated at each other,\u201d Gausman said. \u201cMaybe those times last year where we wanted to be around each other a little bit more, maybe that\u2019s not the case this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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