RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Chicago Cubs have landed a desperately needed starting pitcher. The Cubs are set to acquire veteran righty Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor-league outfielder Brett Bateman and minor-league infielder Ty Southisene , according to The Athletic . Neither team has announced the trade.
Gausman, 38, is a rental in the final season of a wildly successful five-year, $110 million contact. He was the ace of Toronto's pennant-winning team a year ago, and he finished third in the AL Cy Young voting in 2023. This season, Gausman has a 4.38 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 127 ⅓ innings spanning 23 starts.
At one point earlier last month the Cubs had a full 13-man pitching staff (five starters and eight relievers) on the injured list. They're still not close to fully healthy, but they are at least trending in the right direction. Chicago's rotation depth chart currently looks like this:
The Cubs were reportedly planning to add three pitchers prior to Monday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. Another starter and a reliever would make the most sense, but they need pitching however they can get it. If it's two relievers, then it's two relievers. Gausman figures to be just the first addition for the Cubbies, not the only addition.
As for the Blue Jays, they are 7-9 since the All-Star break and have fallen to 4 ½ games behind the third AL wild-card spot with six teams ahead of them. Now that they've committed to selling, fellow rentals Shane Bieber , George Springer , and Daulton Varsho figure to be on the move. Springer has been excellent the last few weeks. He has a no-trade clause and can pick his next team.
MLB Pipeline ranked Southinsene and Bateman as the No. 13 and No. 21 prospects in the Blue Jays system prior to the trade, respectively. Here now are our trade grades for Gausman joining the Cubs.
A pitcher with multiple years of control would have been ideal, but those guys are difficult to acquire, plus there's still time for Chicago to add one. For now, the Cubs brought in a high-quality veteran, one who takes the ball every fifth day without incident and gives his team a chance to win more often than not. There's a lot of value in that reliability. The Cubs certainly need it.
Furthermore, Gausman is postseason and big-market battle-tested, two traits that will serve him well in Chicago's demanding media environment. Gausman is no longer an ace at this point in his career, but he brings an awful lot to the table. He's an excellent fit for a Cubs team that needs innings, both quality and quantity, and the prospect cost was reasonable. This is a clear A for me.
I thought the Blue Jays might keep Gausman and sign him to an extension, perhaps another two years, but they opted to trade him for two mid-range prospects. It's a good return on par with most veteran rental starters these days. You won't get a top prospect for a Gausman, but you will get two solid prospects. The return is a solid B for me.
Southisene, 21, is hitting .306/.425/.372 between the two Single-A levels this year and is a standout defender at shortstop with good contact skills and a high baseball IQ. The Blue Jays love that profile (think Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez ) and they're getting in on the ground floor with Southisene, who signed for an above-slot $1 million bonus as a fourth-round pick in 2024.
Bateman, 24, owns a .312/.430/.421 slash line in Triple-A. He's a plate-discipline guy with good contact skills and top-of-the-line speed. Again, the Blue Jays love that profile. They leaned into what they develop well with Bateman and Southisene. These two are Toronto's first attempt to salvage what has been an otherwise disappointing season.
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