What to know
- Kevin Gausman wore an Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs jersey in a family Halloween photo.
- Blue Jays fans quickly flooded social media with calls for the veteran pitcher to return to Toronto.
- Gausman became a free agent after finishing the 2026 season with the Chicago Cubs.
- Toronto traded Gausman to Chicago at the deadline after nearly five seasons with the Blue Jays.
- There is no indication the Halloween costume signals a baseball move, but the timing has fuelled reunion speculation among fans.
Kevin Gausman may no longer pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays, but one Halloween photo was all it took to get fans dreaming about a reunion.
A family photo circulating on social media showed the former Jays starter dressed in a Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews jersey while out for Halloween.
For Blue Jays fans, naturally, that was enough evidence to begin connecting some dots.
“Gaus in a Leafs jersey for Halloween that’s my honorary Canadian!” one fan wrote on X.
Another went straight to the point: “Bring him HOME do u hear me @BlueJays.”
‘Is he coming home?’
The timing probably didn’t help calm anyone down.
Gausman officially became a free agent on Oct. 29 after finishing the 2026 season with the Chicago Cubs. Toronto traded the veteran right-hander to Chicago at the deadline in August after nearly five seasons with the Blue Jays.
So when fans saw him wearing Leafs blue only days later, the jokes — and wishful thinking — came quickly.
“He’s literally begging to come back,” one user wrote, tagging the Blue Jays and pleading for a reunion.
“Oh Gausy….come home,” another posted.
Others were even more convinced.
“Is he coming home?” one fan asked.
“Yea he’s signing back,” another declared.
There is, of course, nothing in a Halloween costume that confirms Gausman is headed back to Toronto.
But the idea itself isn’t completely out of nowhere.
MLB.com recently listed Gausman among this offseason’s top free agents and noted that a Toronto reunion “could be an option” if the 36-year-old chooses to keep pitching in 2027.
Why Blue Jays fans still have a soft spot for Gausman
Gausman spent most of his five-year, $110-million US contract in Toronto after joining the Jays before the 2022 season.
He became one of the club’s most dependable starters during that stretch, including an American League-leading 237 strikeouts in 2023 and a third-place finish in Cy Young voting.
Toronto moved him at the 2026 trade deadline, receiving prospects Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman from the Cubs.
The Blue Jays already have several starters under contract or team control for 2027, but MLB.com has noted that Toronto could still look to add another arm to the rotation this winter.
Whether that arm winds up being Gausman is another matter entirely.
For now, Toronto fans have a Leafs jersey, a free agent and their imaginations.
And judging by the reaction online, that’s more than enough.
