W-L record is pretty far down on the list of stats people look at for pitchers now. It's so much a reflection of the teams you played on.
Jacob DeGrom won back to back CYA's, and deservedly so, with a COMBINED record of 21-17 for 2 seasons.
Gausman's peripherals suggest he's about a 3 WAR pitcher now. And 3 WAR on the free agent market has been worth over 20 million the last few seasons.
It's a fair point about the depressed market. However, it's only a one-year commitment, and he might be in great demand at the trade deadline.