Toronto Blue Jays' Erik Swanson Mocks MLB Network's Ranking of Top 10 Starting Pitchers

MLB Network came out with its Top 10 Right Now Starting Pitchers rankings on Tuesday, and not everyone was pleased with the list.

A few of the most notable omissions were Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt, leading to teammates, fans and social media managers alike coming to their defense.

Veteran relief pitcher Erik Swanson, who was traded to the Blue Jays from the Seattle Mariners in 2022, replied to MLB's tweet with a series of laughing emojis.

🤣🤣🤣🤣
— Erik Swanson (@Erik_Swanson03) January 10, 2024

The Blue Jays' official account replied to Swanson, backing up their reliever's take on the list by posting a photo of Gausman and Bassitt.

Cook, Swanny 🦢 pic.twitter.com/7FeHpQ0pdA
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 10, 2024

Gausman opened his career with a six-year stint with the Baltimore Orioles, then bounced around between the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants before arriving in Toronto. Through his first seven seasons of big league ball, Gausman was a reliable back-end starter, going 47-63 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.344 WHIP.

But since 2020, Gausman has emerged as one of the more respected hurlers in the game. In that time, he is 41-28 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.145 WHIP.

Gausman was named an All-Star in 2021 and 2023, and the 33-year-old has finished top-10 in Cy Young voting in each of the last three seasons, including a third-place spot this past fall.

Bassitt similarly didn't break out until later in his career, partially due to injuries and partially as a result of playing for the often-ignored Oakland Athletics.

A bumpy start to the 2016 season led to Tommy John surgery for Bassit, who missed all of 2017 and struggled to hold onto a roster spot in 2018. Ever since fully recovering in 2019, though, Bassitt is 58-28 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.145 WHIP as a member of the A's, New York Mets and Blue Jays.

The 34-year-old Bassitt has placed top-10 in Cy Young voting himself in three of the last four seasons, including in his debut campaign with the Jays in 2023.

Gausman and Bassitt combined for a 5.9 WAR last season, making them one of the most dangerous pitching duos in the league.

According to MLB Network, however, neither crack the top 10 at their position at the moment, giving the pair another chance to exceed expectations in 2024.

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