Rays' Contention + Most Disappointing Teams in 2026
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Could this be Kevin Gausman's last start in Toronto and what would that mean for the Blue Jays?
All right. Welcome back to Player and Barker. The 7 of 7 will be the first pitch tonight. Kevin Gossman against Drew Rasmussen as the Jays look to rebound from that 7-1 set back last night to the Rays. Let's bring in the man who will have the call of the game tonight, Dan Shulman, our Blue Jays play-by-play voice on Sportsnet. There he is. How you doing, Mr. Shulman?
How are you guys? How was the mood in the first hour? I mean, I wish it was.
I can't decide whether I wish it was 2025 or 2027, but I know what I wish it wasn't. Good one, Jeff. Did you write that down? I did, actually.
I wrote it down at the break.
Hey, not having had access yet to John's pregame avail today or anything, I'm wondering if at any point did anybody bring up the possibility that this could be one of Kevin's last starts at the Rogers Center, if not his last start at the Rogers Center?
It's very, very, very interesting that you ask that. And it's something that myself and Shai Davidi and Arden Zwelling and our producer, Nat Chris Black, have been talking about. There were a couple of Gaussman questions asked, but not about anything like that. And we have been talking about it. I'm kind of going to, I guess, give away a little something here. Should we get into that tonight? Is it a little bit too early to have that conversation? If we do get into it, is it off the top of the show? Is it during the game? I don't know how many fans have thought about that, Jeff, to be honest with you. If Gosman comes off the mound in the middle of the seventh inning and he's had a great game, but they're losing 2-1,
Is everybody getting up and giving him a longer, louder ovation because they realize theoretically it could be his last time? I don't know the answer to that. I'm not sure that all that many people may have thought of that. So he's starting tonight. He'll start in Boston. And then if he's still a Blue Jay, he would start at home at some point in the St. Louis series. So there could be another one, but there might not be. So it's a really interesting question. And to answer your question about whether John Schneider was asked anything about it, the answer is no.
Is that the white flag? Whenever they trade Kevin, that kind of means season's over. We roll it up. We throw it away. We move on to 27. In your mind.
Yeah, I think so. I think he's the biggest chip, right? I mean, he's a guy certainly a contender would love to have. You're getting a dependable, reliable veteran guy who's pitched in a lot of big playoff games. And, again, when you start thinking about guys they might trade, if they are sellers, the first thing you think of is, is guys whose contracts are up at the end of this year. Kevin Gossman is in that group, and I think he's the most attractive one of those to a contender. So, you know, we might, the funny thing, and you know how this works, guys, like let's say they're sellers. There might be a little trade. I'm not going to, it doesn't matter who, but there might be a little guy or a smaller deal where a guy comes off the roster, but then we say, oh.
I guess they're sellers because they wouldn't make that deal unless they were sellers. But the bigger deals take until closer to August 3rd when the deadline is this year. But, you know, right now the standings are what the standings are, right? Unless they can find a way to somehow win like seven out of eight, eight out of nine, the math is certainly not in their favor right now.
I know you guys, I believe, talked about this in the last telecast, but it was certainly a topic of conversation. Kevin Gossman and the tweak he's made to his delivery. Does that tell you that... you know, at this stage of his career, at this stage of this season, he's willing to do that. And, you know, I guess knowing Kevin, it probably doesn't come as a surprise, but I find it, I still find it kind of telling that he's capable of doing it.
Yeah, capable and willing. I think some guys, you know, all three of us are old dogs, and we haven't learned many new tricks lately, I would imagine, but Kevin Gossman isn't nearly as old as we are, but in baseball years, he's been around a long time, and
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Could this be Kevin Gausman's last start in Toronto and what would that mean for the Blue Jays?
0:23–9:20
2
Why did Kevin Gausman change his delivery and did it improve his velocity?
9:20–19:09
3
Why did John Schneider bat Ernie Clement in the three-hole and what is he trying to achieve?
19:09–32:10
4
How are coaches managing clubhouse morale during a down season and potential trades?
32:10–36:26
5
Which Blue Jays are the likeliest trade chips and how would trades reshape the roster?
36:26–40:10
6
Are the Tampa Bay Rays one bat away from contention and what should they target at the deadline?
40:10–49:52
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from Blair & Barker
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All Eyes on Vladdy + What’s Next for the Blue Jays
Vladdy's Controversial Contract Comments
Jays’ Vibes Plummet + AL's Least Valuable Player with Jayson Stark
Blue Jays on the Brink + Red Sox Shed Chad Tracy's Interim Tag
Do-or-Die in Baltimore