Frontrunner emerges for Gausman? Deal imminent?

MLB.com is keeping track of all the latest news and rumors surrounding right-hander Kevin Gausman, who is a free agent.

Read all about Gausman here.

Nov. 28: Giants with 'good chance' to re-sign Gausman; decision appears imminent (sources)

MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Giants have a "good chance" to re-sign Gausman "based on the current tenor of negotiations." According to Morosi, Gausman is expected to land a five-year contract with "a guarantee at or around $100 million."

According to MLB Network insider Joel Sherman, teams still in the mix for Gausman expect that he'll sign somewhere "no later than Monday."

Nov. 27: Gausman 'expected' to reach deal in coming days (sources)

There have been a lot of rumors swirling around Gausman, who is reportedly being courted by several clubs, including the Mets, who have been busy over the Thanksgiving holiday with a flurry of moves. Sources told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi that the right-hander is "expected" to reach a multi-year agreement -- perhaps as long as five years -- within the next two or three days. Morosi also reports that the Blue Jays have had discussions on a multi-year pact with Gausman in recent days, and that the Jays are a finalist to land him, though other clubs remain in the mix.

Gausman, who turns 31 in January, revived his career in two seasons with the Giants from 2020-21, posting a 3.00 ERA (138 ERA+) and 30 percent strikeout rate over 251 2/3 innings for San Francisco, helping the club win a franchise-record 107 games and the NL West title last season.

Nov. 27: Gausman a 'major focus' for Mets
After addressing their offense Friday, when they reached deals with Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar, according to sources, the Mets are now focused on the starting-pitching market, MLB Network insider Joel Sherman reports.

Gausman is a "major focus" for New York, according to SNY's Andy Martino, and a rival executive told Sherman they would be "shocked" if the Mets don't land Gausman within the next 48 hours.

Nov. 26: Giants still hoping to bring back Gausman
The Giants saw four-fifths of their rotation reach free agency earlier this month, but they brought back Anthony DeSclafani on a three-year deal and are close to a two-year contract with Alex Wood (per a source). Next up, Gausman?

According to reports from MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the club remains interested in a reunion with the right-hander, who spent the past two seasons with the Giants and is coming off a sixth-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award race.

However, San Francisco has plenty of competition for Gausman’s services. Morosi names the Blue Jays, Angels and Mariners among the clubs that could pursue him. The Mets also have Gausman on their wish list, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reports.

Per Slusser, Gausman is atop the Giants’ wish list, but it’s unclear if they are willing to go more than three years with a pitcher who will turn 31 in January, and that could make all the difference in determining where he lands.

Alternatives for the Giants include free agents Marcus Stroman and Alex Cobb (the latter reportedly has been in talks with San Francisco) and the Reds’ Sonny Gray, who is said to be available via trade. Gray has a $10 million base salary in 2022 and can be retained with a $12 million club option in ‘23.

Nov. 12: Will Gausman get top FA contract among starting pitchers?
It was pretty clear from the start of the offseason in each of the past four years which free-agent pitcher was going to land the largest contract. We knew it would be Trevor Bauer in 2020, Gerrit Cole in 2019, Patrick Corbin in 2018 and Yu Darvish in 2017. That’s not the case this year.

Although there’s no shortage of intriguing free-agent hurlers, there’s no clear-cut No. 1 choice. Max Scherzer is close, but at the age of 37, he may have to settle for a shorter deal.

When a panel of ESPN writers and reporters were asked to predict the starting pitcher who will get the biggest money contract of the offseason, there wasn’t a consensus, but Gausman did get a mention from all four panelists.

“For total dollars, it will be Gausman, who turns 31 in January,” Buster Olney wrote. “No one has ever doubted his pure stuff, but now that he has apparently turned the corner in his time with the Giants, he'll be his generation's version of Charlie Morton.”

“Buster is probably right about Gausman here,” wrote Alden Gonzalez, “but I do wonder about the market for someone like [Robbie] Ray, who always had the raw stuff and finally put it together for what could amount to a Cy Young season in 2021. Gausman has a slightly longer track record of elite pitching, but Ray's upside is probably slightly higher.

MLB Trade Rumors also predicted Gausman will get the largest deal, though not by much, edging Ray $138 million to $130 million.

One factor working in Gausman's favor when compared to Ray is his lack of a qualifying offer. Gausman was ineligible to receive another QO, while Ray received one from the Blue Jays and will be tied to Draft-pick compensation if he leaves Toronto.

Nov. 4: These teams could pursue Gausman
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand writes that several teams could be in pursuit of Gausman this offseason, specifically mentioning the Giants -- his club from 2020-21 -- Mets, Cubs, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Angels, Mariners and Astros.

Gausman, who will be entering his age-31 season in 2022, is coming off the finest campaign of his nine-year career, posting a 2.81 ERA over 33 starts (192 innings) to help San Francisco win the NL West with a franchise-record 107 victories.

Oct. 3: Gausman finishes regular season with 2.81 ERA
After signing a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer with the Giants last offseason, Gausman went on to post career bests in ERA (2.81), WHIP (1.04), strikeouts (227) and innings (192), helping San Francisco to an MLB-best 107-55 record and a National League West title.

Gausman faded in the second half (4.42 ERA), but he’ll have a chance to boost his stock during the playoffs before reaching free agency again. He’ll be one of the top starting pitchers on the market, joining Max Scherzer, Marcus Stroman, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Carlos Rodón.

Gausman is ineligible to receive another QO, which means he won’t be tied to any Draft-pick compensation if he opts to sign with another team.

The Giants will likely make a strong effort to re-sign Gausman, especially with Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani and Johnny Cueto (club option) also set to reach free agency.

Gausman has reached new heights since he initially joined San Francisco on a one-year, $9 million contract after the 2019 season. The right-hander had a 4.30 ERA (99 ERA+) with an 8.3 K/9 and a 1.3 HR/9 over his first seven seasons with the Orioles, Braves and Reds. In a Giants uniform, he’s pitched to a 3.00 ERA (138 ERA+) with a 10.9 K/9 and a 1.0 HR/9.