The Toronto Blue Jays don’t have a rotation problem.
Feb 11, 2026; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34), pitcher Dylan Cease (84), pitcher Cody Ponce (37) workout for spring training practice at Blue Jays Player Development Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
They have a luxury.
After an aggressive and transformative offseason, Toronto enters 2026 with one of the deepest starting staffs in baseball. Kevin Gausman. Shane Bieber. Dylan Cease. José Berríos. Rising phenom Trey Yesavage. KBO MVP Cody Ponce. On paper, it’s as formidable as any group in the American League.
Which makes the Opening Day decision both simple — and symbolic.
When March 27 arrives, the ball should go to Kevin Gausman.
Not because the others lack talent. But because Gausman has earned it in a way that transcends one season.
Since signing with Toronto ahead of the 2022 campaign, Gausman has been the backbone of this era of Blue Jays baseball. Year after year, he has taken the mound without drama and delivered frontline production.
Four straight seasons of double-digit wins. Four straight years with an ERA under 4.00. A WHIP below 1.24 in each campaign. At least 31 starts and 174 innings every season.
That’s not just consistency. That’s reliability at a time when durability across the league has become increasingly rare.
His 2023 season stands as one of the most dominant by a Blue Jays pitcher in recent memory. Gausman led the American League with 237 strikeouts and finished third in Cy Young voting. He wasn’t just good — he was elite.
And he’s still performing at that level.
There are, of course, compelling alternatives.
José Berríos has handled Opening Day duties in recent seasons, but his late-2025 struggles suggest his focus should be on regaining peak form rather than chasing ceremony.
Trey Yesavage dazzled during last year’s postseason and looks every bit like a future ace. Still, one electric playoff run doesn’t yet outweigh the grind of a full 162-game season.
Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce bring impressive résumés, but both are newcomers. Let them establish themselves in Toronto before handing them the franchise’s most symbolic start.
As for Shane Bieber, forearm fatigue clouds his readiness for the season’s first turn.
That leaves Gausman — the steady constant.
There’s also a deeper layer to consider. At 35, Gausman may be entering the final chapter of a distinguished major league career. If this is indeed one of his last seasons in a Blue Jays uniform — or in baseball altogether — the organization has an opportunity to recognize what he has meant to its resurgence.
Opening Day is more than a matchup. It’s a statement about identity.
For years, when Toronto needed its most dependable arm, it turned to Kevin Gausman. He set the tone. He absorbed pressure. He delivered.
With a championship window still open and expectations soaring again in 2026, there’s comfort in beginning the journey with the pitcher who has defined it.
The Blue Jays have plenty of aces.
But when the curtain rises on a new season, the right choice — and the earned choice — is Kevin Gausman.
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