'Sturdier' Gausman could be primed for big '25
Scherzer ramping up; Rodr¨ªguez stretching out in case he's needed as starter
Keegan Matheson
@KeeganMathesonDUNEDIN, Fla. -- One of the first things Blue Jays manager John Schneider noticed in camp this spring is that Kevin Gausman looks ¡°sturdier.¡± That¡¯s a good thing.
Gausman got ¡°sturdier¡± on purpose. He starts every offseason with the intent of putting on as much weight as he can -- a dream assignment -- and on top of his strength training over the winter, there¡¯s a delicious dietary element to all of this.
¡°I live in southwest Louisiana, so the food is a lot different than Toronto ¡ or really anywhere,¡± Gausman said. ¡°It¡¯s a little bit easier to put on weight if you¡¯re eating hush puppies and stuff like that instead of flatbreads.¡±
Gausman, like his rotation mate Chris Bassitt, is built tall and thin, at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. That can work in April, but Gausman is more focused on August, September and hopefully October.
¡°I¡¯ve never really pitched an entire season at over 200 pounds, but I think that might be a possibility for me this year," Gausman said. "We¡¯ll see what happens. I usually always lose a good amount of weight during the season, so that¡¯s why I try to gain as much as I can, knowing I¡¯ll lose some of it.¡±
Gausman is coming off a solid 2024 season. His 3.83 ERA in 181 innings over 31 starts didn¡¯t quite match the dominance of his first two seasons with the Blue Jays, and it felt like a bit of a grind all season long, but he made it work. This came after Gausman dealt with some right shoulder fatigue in camp last year and was late ramping up. Later in the season, Gausman shared that he probably should have opened the season with a brief IL stint to finish building up, but he was so eager to be on the mound.
A ¡°normal¡± spring should do wonders for Gausman, who¡¯s in an excellent place physically and has shown no signs of slowing down at 34. He¡¯s entering the fourth year of his five-year, $110 million deal, and if the Blue Jays want to be anything more than a pesky Wild Card competitor this season, they¡¯ll need Gausman to return to his true ace form.
There¡¯s some tinkering, sure, but Gausman¡¯s focus is on getting back to what he does best: dominating hitters with one of the best splitters in baseball.
¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you too much about that. Let¡¯s keep the hitters guessing,¡± Gausman said with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s just about trying to get better at what you¡¯re good at. I¡¯ve started throwing a little different grip on my changeup that I think will alleviate some of the stress of my splitter having to be my primary ¡®changeup.' I feel really good with where I¡¯m at arm wise, and that¡¯s what is important.¡±
Scherzer stretching out
In Max Scherzer's first bullpen session, the future Hall of Famer just kept throwing ¡ and throwing ¡ and throwing. It was impressive to watch, and his rotation mates took notice. Scherzer wants to ramp up fully and properly to set himself up for a healthy season.
¡°This is one of the most dangerous times for pitchers,¡± Scherzer said. ¡°This is when you see the most injuries and the most arm injuries. You¡¯re in a dangerous time because you¡¯re building up, ramping up, and every time you¡¯re out there, you¡¯re pushing a new boundary to yourself as you¡¯re getting back to midseason form. My perspective is that you really need to build your foundation up and really need to build your endurance up so that your body can handle that. If you don¡¯t have a good foundation, bad things can happen.¡±
What about Yariel Rodríguez?
Rodr¨ªguez could break camp as the Blue Jays¡¯ No. 5 starter, as a swingman in Toronto¡¯s bullpen or as a high-leverage reliever. Even though rejoining the rotation would require someone ahead of him suffering an injury, it¡¯s all on the table for the Cuban right-hander.
¡°We¡¯re stretching him out. You never have enough starting pitching. You know how this game goes,¡± said pitching coach Pete Walker. ¡°You¡¯ve got to have depth. Right now, he¡¯s competing for a spot in the rotation -- or he¡¯s going to be ready for a spot in the rotation -- and we can always adjust if need be.¡±
Some certainty would benefit Rodr¨ªguez, but his time pitching in Cuba, Japan and the big leagues has shown he has the potential to thrive in any role. Walker hinted at the Blue Jays tinkering with Rodr¨ªguez¡¯s arsenal, too, which should come much easier now that he¡¯s settled into life in the big leagues.