There is exactly one week until the MLB Trade Deadline, and the Boston Red Sox have already made their first move, acquiring infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals on Saturday night. However, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow’s work is far from done as he continues to look for upgrades to the surging Boston roster. 

Breslow met with the media on Sunday morning to discuss the acquisition of Mead and the team’s approach ahead of the deadline. Among the positions he noted could be in need for Boston is a starting pitcher to ease the workload of rookies Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle. Could Toronto Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman become a target for Breslow in an effort to reunite the veteran with former pitching coach Andrew Bailey? 

The two previously worked together during the 2020 and 2021 seasons as members of the San Francisco Giants, where, under Bailey’s tutelage, Gausman had the best season of his career, posting a 2.82 ERA over 33 starts en route to a sixth-place finish in National League Cy Young voting. 

Gausman, like much of the Toronto roster, has struggled in 2026. Through 22 starts, the 35-year-old has posted a 4.51 ERA across 121.2 innings, while leading the league with 10 losses. 

Despite the rough results in 2026, Gausman could be exactly the kind of pitcher Breslow is looking for: an established, innings-eating veteran. With 1,047.1 innings pitched since 2021, Gausman trails only his former teammate in San Francisco, Logan Webb, for the most innings thrown across all of Major League Baseball. 

Along with providing the Red Sox with some much-needed innings, Gausman carries with him playoff success, which only Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray have an established track record of having. 

In six appearances (five starts) in Toronto’s World Series run in 2025, Gausman posted a 2.93 ERA across 30.2 innings, holding opponents to a .159 batting average. 

Overall, Gausman has made 14 playoff appearances in his career, posting a 3.83 ERA over 56.1 innings, during which he has held opponents to a .177 batting average. 

The 35-year-old is in the final year of the five-year, $110-million deal he signed with Toronto ahead of the 2022 season. The deal does include a limited no-trade clause, which, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, consists of the Brewers, Reds, Tigers, Mets, Athletics, White Sox, Pirates and Mariners. 

While Toronto hasn’t officially waved the white flag on its season, it’s getting late early with just seven days until the trade deadline. After dropping two of three to the Red Sox over the weekend, the Blue Jays now find themselves 10 games under .500 and 5.5 games back of the final wild-card spot. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Toronto was “wading into sell waters” even before Sunday’s loss in Boston. 

Given his strong track record of posting every five days and postseason success, paired with the league-wide need for pitching. Gausman is likely to command a strong market for his services if he is made available. 

However, his struggles in 2026, paired with his expiring deal, could limit the return Toronto receives. In 2025, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded right-handed starter Merrill Kelly to the Texas Rangers in exchange for prospects Mitch Bratt (No. 21 in the Texas organization per MLB Pipeline), Kohl Drake (No. 13), and David Hagaman (No. 27). 

Could a deal centered around Boston’s 12th- and 16th-ranked prospects, pitcher Marcus Phillips and infielder Mikey Romero, be of interest to Toronto? Regardless of the exact pieces involved, the Kelly deal from a year ago seems to be the perfect framework for what a Gausman deal may look like if he becomes available. 

The Red Sox will head out west for a seven-game road trip leading up to the trade deadline, beginning on Monday night in Sacramento, kicking off a four-game set with the Athletics. Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.31 ERA) will get the start for the Red Sox opposite Jack Perkins (2-5, 6.75 ERA) for the Athletics. First pitch from Sutter Health Park is set for 9:40 p.m. ET.

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