The Chicago Cubs added to their starting rotation on Sunday night, completing a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for veteran starting pitcher Kevin Gausman. The 35-year-old hasn’t put up his traditional numbers in 2026, but Gausman’s underlying metrics point to better days ahead with the Cubs. His strikeout and walk rates have stayed relatively the same since 2024, and his 3.51 FIP is another indicator that Gausman can return to form with the best defense in MLB behind him.
So, the opinion on Gausman is still high around the league despite the 4.38 ERA in 23 starts, which is why league experts are stunned at the light return the Blue Jays received from the Cubs. Yes, Gausman is only a rental acquisition, but the immediate reaction to the trade was that the Cubs got great upside in exchange for a couple of low-impact minor leaguers.
The Cubs traded away 24-year-old outfielder Brett Bateman, who is having a good year at Triple-A. The left-handed hitter doesn’t have much pop, with three home runs in 346 plate appearances with the Iowa Cubs, but the 2023 eighth-round pick has a .312/.431/.422 slash line.
Middle infielder Ty Southisene is also hitting above .300 this year in A-Ball, and Bateman is Barry Bonds compared to the 21-year-old, who has zero home runs in 156 minor league games.
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The Athletic released its grades on the trade, and they were not kind to the Blue Jays.
“Kevin Gausman is the same guy he used to be, and that’s worth more than this”
Blue Jays: C
Cubs: A-
“Gausman does not qualify as an ace, but the Cubs should feel comfortable handing him the baseball in Game 1 of a postseason series. To secure him, they gave up a couple of infielders with scant power. Feels like a nice win for the Cubs.“ -Andy McCullough
“A pair of players with little-to-no power are an underwhelming return for Toronto”
Blue Jays: C-
Cubs: A
“But is this really all the Jays could get? Listen, I know Gausman is not in peak form. He had a recent stretch in which he had a 7.27 ERA across seven starts, and the Jays lost all seven games. But this is still a pitcher I’d happily hand the ball to for a postseason start. There had to have been several contenders talking to the Blue Jays brass in recent days. This return feels mighty light.” – Stephen J. Nesbitt
Meanwhile, Keith Law wrote about the trade as well, and while he believes Bateman can eventually be a major leaguer, at least as a fourth outfielder off the bench, the prospect analyst sees no future for Southisene in MLB.
Via The Athletic.
“Ty Southisene, brother of Atlanta prospect Tate Southisene, has zero power — literally, no pro homers in over 700 plate appearances — and probably has to move to second. He’s very small, so there’s no projection here for him to get stronger.” -Keith Law
Ouch.
Regardless of what the industry thinks now, the only thing that matters is that Gausman gets back on track with the Cubs. Funny enough, he could make his Cubs debut on Thursday, when they host the Blue Jays in a make-up game at Wrigley Field.
More on Gausman and what to expect from the Cubs leading up to the trade deadline on the latest Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.
