The Toronto Blue Jays were seemingly in the running to land superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani, but he opted to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million contract with a significant amount of deferred money. Since then, the Blue Jays have caught some flack about not being a free agent destination after missing out on Shohei Ohtani, and Kevin Gausman took to Twitter to defend the city he plays in.

“I hate seeing people talk s**t about Toronto like they know it,” Kevin Gausman said on Twitter. “If you live in Toronto you know how special of a place it is and how passionate the people are #GeauxCanada #GeauxBlueJays.”

Gausman just completed his second year with the Blue Jays in 2023, after signing a five-year, $110 million contract with the team ahead of the 2022 season. He is a key member of the rotation heading into next season, and is one of the bigger free agents the team has signed in recent memory, alongside outfielder George Springer.

The Blue Jays were mentioned with two of the biggest names to move this offseason in Ohtani, as well as Juan Soto, who was traded to the division rival New York Yankees. Of course, the Blue Jays did not land either, but there are some quality players still available.

Toronto could pivot and sign someone like Cody Bellinger, or bring back Matt Chapman. Those would not be the splash that Ohtani or Juan Soto would have been, but they would improve the team in a tough AL East.