Kevin Gausman's No-Trade List is a Masterclass in Avoiding Bad Vibes

Kevin Gausman has officially submitted his eight-team no-trade list, and it reads less like a strategic baseball document and more like a man who simply refuses to deal with bad vibes. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Toronto Blue Jays starter can block deals to the Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Seattle Mariners.

Blocking the Athletics is just standard self-care, but the rest of the list is a fascinating psychological profile. Gausman is essentially telling the league he has zero interest in Steve Cohen's checkbook in New York or whatever is happening in the state of Ohio.

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"Fans noted the humor in Gausman blocking the Mets, one of the few times Steve Cohen's money couldn't win out."

The timing of this leak is perfect because the Blue Jays are currently in a total freefall. Toronto is sitting at 46-55, riding a six-game losing streak, and staring up at a six-game deficit in the wild-card race. They are obvious sellers ahead of the August 3 trade deadline, and Gausman is one of their most movable assets despite having a down year.

The 35-year-old righty is sitting on a 4-9 record with a 4.51 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. That is a noticeable drop-off for a guy who posted an ERA under 4.00 in each of the first four seasons of his five-year, 110 million dollar contract. Still, with 117 strikeouts on the year, plenty of front offices will convince themselves they can fix him for a playoff push.

From a market perspective, this list actually leaves the door wide open for the real heavyweights. Rosenthal noted that most teams likely to be interested are free to acquire him without restriction. If you are looking at trade deadline futures, the big-market contenders are fully cleared for takeoff.

The funniest part of the blocked list is that it actually includes three teams currently holding playoff spots. The Brewers, White Sox, and Pirates are all in the postseason mix, but Gausman clearly has no desire to join Milwaukee's rotation alongside Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison. Winning is great, but apparently not if it requires moving to Wisconsin.

With the deadline looming, expect Toronto to start taking offers seriously. Gausman might not be the Cy Young candidate he was two years ago, but he is a veteran arm who just made sure he only gets dealt to a team he actually wants to play for.