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Kevin Gausman Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman reacted after he got his 2,000th career strikeout on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Although the Blue Jays lost 8-5 to the Blue Jays, the game was memorable because Gausman got to 2,000 career strikeouts, becoming the 91st pitcher in MLB history to reach the milestone. He is also the sixth active pitcher to hit 2,000 Ks in his career.

Kevin Gausman Reacts to 2,000 Career Strikeouts

Speaking to reporters after the Blue Jays dropped Monday night’s game to Tampa Bay, Gausman gave his reaction to reaching the incredible achievement of collecting 2,000 career Ks.

“My career has been ups and downs and very different, not all sunshine and rainbows. So, I take those things very seriously. Yeah, I’m honored by it, for sure,” Gausman told reporters (via Mitch Bannon).

The achievement was, of course, bittersweet for Gausman, as the Blue Jays dropped to 18-23 this season after they lost to the Rays. But regardless of the game’s result, there is no doubting that what Gausman accomplished was special, and he deserves all the accolades in the world.

This season, Gausman is 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA and 0.8 bWAR for the Blue Jays. Once again, the 35-year-old Colorado native is putting up solid numbers for the Blue Jays, and he is still striking out plenty of batters, with 48 Ks in 51.1 IP.

Kevin Gausman is an Impending Free Agent

Gausman originally signed a five-year, $110 million contract as a free agent after leaving the San Francisco Giants following the 2021 season. So far, the Blue Jays have gotten plenty of value on their investment, as Gausman has gone 50-44 with a 3.51 ERA and 12.2 bWAR in 134 starts for Toronto since they signed him as a free agent. He has received Cy Young votes in two of those years and has been named an All-Star once for the Blue Jays. He also pitched well in the team’s World Series run last year, though they ultimately came up short against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Following this season, Gausman is an impending free agent, and it will be interesting to see what the Blue Jays try to do with him, depending on how the rest of his year plays out for the team.

On one hand, the Blue Jays would certainly love to bring Gausman back and have him lead their rotation next year and beyond. Despite being 35, he is still pitching at a high level, and he is one of the most respected starting pitchers in the game today. He is also incredibly durable and rarely misses a start.

On the other hand, if the Blue Jays continue to flounder, the team may be better off trading him at the deadline and collecting prospects in return for the impending FA. While that would certainly make fans emotional, it would likely be the best thing for the organization’s future if they are out of the playoffs at the trade deadline. But there is still plenty of time left for the Blue Jays to turn things around. If they can do that and get back into a playoff position, signing Gausman to an extension becomes more likely.