Gausman not thinking about Trade Deadline after latest rough outing

TORONTO -- At this point, every single thing lives in the light of the Trade Deadline.

Each loss is another step closer to the Blue Jays, at some point in the days leading up to Aug. 3, announcing to the rest of baseball that they’re sellers. It’s baseball’s version of a concession speech. When done right, it can soften the blow and bring a relieving end to the inevitable, but that’s about it.

So many Blue Jays players, too, will be viewed through this lens over the next 11 games. If Kevin Gausman’s name hits the trade market between now and then, Tuesday’s start in a 12-2 loss could be one of his last for Toronto, perhaps even his final at home. Even now, when everything is still theoretical, that just doesn’t sound right. Gausman, in his 4 1/2 years here, has been everything the Blue Jays dreamed of and more.

"I'm not going to think about that too much. I'm a Blue Jay right now, and the focus is this team, this room and those guys,” Gausman said. “That's where my mind is at right now. That is kind of crazy to think about."

Gausman is 35 now. He’s lived so many lives in this game, first as the fourth overall pick out of LSU and a top prospect for the Orioles. Then came the bad times, a trade to Atlanta, a move to the bullpen and even Gausman being designated for assignment. Fans in Toronto have known Gausman only at his best, but this has been a long road. Only six active pitchers have thrown more innings than his 2,026 2/3: Justin Verlander (3,571 1/3), Max Scherzer (2,985), Chris Sale (2,189), Jose Quintana (2,142 1/3) and Patrick Corbin (2,127 2/3).

Gausman knows how this game works by now -- both on and off the field.

“It’s impossible to ignore nowadays with social media and the amount of people that are here right now,” Gausman said after Tuesday’s loss. “We kind of all know what’s going on. Unfortunately, we knew we needed to come out of the [second-half] gate strong, and we really haven’t. We just haven’t played very well lately.”

Trading relievers on one-year deals and veteran role players? That’s the easy part, at least relatively speaking. Gausman is stitched into the fabric of this organization now, someone who will likely be back in town five, 10 and 20 years from now as an alumnus. He and his family have embraced this city as their home, so this isn’t as simple as cutting a long hotel reservation a month or two short.

Manager John Schneider doesn’t want to touch Trade Deadline talk until he needs to, even as it inches nearer. That may be the only way to stay sane in his job.

“I’m not going there. That’s a slippery slope. That’s above my pay grade,” Schneider said after Monday’s loss. “These guys all know what the standings are. They all know who we’re playing tomorrow. We all expected that we’d be in a different position right now, but there’s nothing you can do about what’s already been done.”

The Blue Jays are six games back of the last Wild Card spot now, though, chasing a Red Sox team that’s won 14 in a row, one shy of tying their franchise record. There are five teams in between Toronto and that final spot, too, so there’s nothing simple about this. Each bad day, or even each day where these standings remain the same, pushes the Blue Jays closer to some of these uncomfortable decisions.

Shane Bieber could be attractive to contenders, especially with another strong start after his last one. Daulton Varsho, even in a down year, brings speed, defense and the potential that his bat comes alive. George Springer could be a veteran addition with postseason experience. Jeff Hoffman, even with a year left on his deal, could be awfully attractive to contenders.

“I don’t want to look at the big picture until we need to look at the big picture,” Schneider reiterated Monday, and can you blame him?

It’s just getting bigger and louder, though. Anything outside of a string of wins will continue to feed this tension, which you could feel in the air at Rogers Centre the moment the Rays took an early lead again on Tuesday night.

It’s a sense of approaching dread, even for those holding out hope that the Blue Jays can shock the baseball world and pull this back out of the ditch.