ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Televisions in the visitors’ clubhouse at Tropicana Field were turned on for coverage of the trade deadline as Kevin Gausman prepared for his start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
“Shohei Ohtani for the Toronto Blue Jays,” one player playfully shouted to his teammates. “Everyone here goes to the angels.”
Joking aside, the later-than-usual 6:00 PM ET cutoff for baseball’s annual swap fest meant that the frenzied handing fed into the day-to-day preparation that precedes each ballgame. The combination of excitement, anticipation and uncertainty made Gausman’s pre-start routine feel “a little weird.”
“It was like we might start this game, something might happen that I might not know about,” he explained after carrying a no-hitter into the sixth and throwing eight one-hit innings in a 3-1 win over the Rays . “It was the first time I’d been involved in a day like this, but also a really exciting moment. A lot of guys out there were watching TV and wondering who we’re going to get, who (we’re) going to give up, that type of thing. Let’s not give up on anyone in that locker room, I think it was pretty big. We feel good where we are. And even if we didn’t make any moves, we’d still feel pretty confident. But by bringing in the guys that we did, I think they’re going to help us win.”
The guys they brought in — relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pope, starter Mitch White and all-rounder Whit Merrifield — made for a reasonable, if not sexy, deadline. They each help shore up various roster gaps and protect against injury while increasing the talent base for next year and beyond.
Moves that were more supportive than transformative for a Blue Jays team that, in winning for the 13th time in 16 games, moved 13 games over .500 for the first time this season at 58-45.
“We’re confident in our group right now,” said shortstop Bo Bichette, who drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the first. “Anyone who can come here and help us is a plus. We’re excited to see what’s next, just go out there and keep racing.”
Added Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who scored twice and scored on Bichette’s single, through translator Hector LeBron: “This is our group, this is our club, these are our guys and we’re going to go all the way.”
The deadline deal played out to the very end for the Blue Jays, who got the Merrifield and White deals just under the line.
Merrifield is particularly interesting given both how he fits into the roster and his uncertain vaccination situation. As the latter piece plays out, the 33-year-old gives the Blue Jays a reliable and accomplished regular capable of moving around the diamond that deepens a bench that also includes Cavan Bijo and Raimel Tapia and could help cover center field if George Springer is on the right elbow problem leads to longer absence.
It will also force interim manager John Schneider to juggle more with the lineup after GM Ross Atkins made it clear the Blue Jays see Merrifield as a full-time player.
“It’s finding the right spot for guys every day and trying to plan ahead a little bit,” Schneider said. “The way we’re going right now and you get input from a lot of different people in a lot of different ways, adding a guy like that with his versatility and skill set is a good problem to have. With a full roster, you know, it’s a cool thing to have, and it’s some tough decisions, but they’re good tough decisions.”
Merrifield, who broke for the Royals in 2016 — the year after they won the World Series — is a two-time All-Star and three-time American League leader in stolen bases.
“He’s accomplished a lot,” Bichette said. “He accomplished some pretty great things, he was around. I think it’s important for all of us to learn as much as we can from him and we’re excited to see what he can bring. For me personally, I’m excited to be around him and talk to him and play with him.”
White is expected to come out of both the rotation and the bullpen, falling into the swingman role that Ross Stripling left to cover for Hyun Jin Ryu. Bass, for the later innings, and Pop, in the early to mid game, help put more weapons at Schneider’s disposal.
With the way Gausman performed Tuesday, no help was needed. After a leadoff walk and a run-scoring hit, the veteran right-hander shut down the Rays, making the 1-0 lead stable. He didn’t allow a hit until Taylor Walls singled to open the sixth, but was promptly erased when Randy Arozarena grounded into a double play.
Gausman finished with 10 strikeouts and was aware on the mound of the fact that he was chasing a no-no.
“You definitely know, it was a shame I couldn’t do it,” he said of going so deep with the no-hitter intact. “But it just goes to show you how hard it is to make it at major league level and that’s why there aren’t many of them. Good pitch but Walls was right on it and over it. But we did a good job of coming back after that, getting a ground ball double play and not letting them get any momentum.”
A two-run single by Danny Jansen in the ninth opened up a wider cushion for the Blue Jays, and it came in handy when Walls opened the bottom half with a solo shot off closer Jordan Romano, who closed things out with ease from there.
Schneider always appreciates extra performances like those provided by Jansen, “but especially here,” he said. “Usually the hits Jano gets seem to be the hits they get late in the game here. A three-run lead is a big difference (than) a one-run lead. But we kind of worked in a one-run game all day and didn’t flinch. It’s always nice to have a little cushion.”
Bass and Popp will be tasked with helping preserve such leads along the way, and they join Adam Kimber and Yimi Garcia as members of the 2021 Marlins bullpen, now with the Blue Jays.
Kimber called them both “electric.”
“Now it’s nice to look forward to what the next two months look like for this team and try to get (into) the postseason and go deep. These guys are going to help us do that,” he said, adding later: “I think we’re all looking for a boost. Everyone is trying to strengthen their squads at the moment and I think this is a good move to help us get to where we want to go.”
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