Two-Time All-Star Pitcher May Be Best On Market; Could Brewers Make Splash?

Milwaukee could use the starting pitcher

Jun 3, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) flips the baseball as he gets ready to throw his first pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

With less than three weeks until the July 30 trade deadline, the Milwaukee Brewers' time to acquire a starting pitcher for the remainder of the 2024 campaign is quickly diminishing.

The Brewers will be looking to acquire a few more pieces to assemble a well-equipped roster for a postseason run, and one option that might be the answer to their rotation troubles could come from the Toronto Blue Jays.

"Had (Kevin) Gausman been available for trade last winter, it would have been a massive development," Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly wrote on Tuesday. "It's unclear if the underperforming Blue Jays will shop him this month, but there's an argument to be made that he represents the best chance for a team to acquire a No. 1 starter in the coming weeks."

Gausman has a 4.64 ERA with a 101-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .264 batting average against and a 1.34 WHIP in 97 innings pitched across 18 games this season.

The 33-year-old is part of a struggling Blue Jays team that may be forced to sell, depending on their performance over the next few weeks. As of now, it's unclear if Toronto will have a firesale at the trade deadline.

If the Blue Jays throw in the towel on the 2024 season, the two-time All-Star will likely be one of the hottest commodities on the trade block despite his performance this season.

Gausman posted a 3.10 ERA (132 ERA+) with a 29.6% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate, .238 batting average against and a 1.15 WHIP in 551 2/3 innings across 95 starts over the last three years -- one with the San Francisco Giants and latter two with the Blue Jays.

The righty would be an upgrade from either of the two veterans that Milwaukee already brought in, Aaron Civale and Dallas Keuchel.

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