If Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had one goal ahead of this year’s trade deadline, it was to add the type of starting pitcher that a team in win-now mode needs and deserves. And on the eve of the trade deadline, we can now say that he has done just that. The Chicago Cubs landed one of the best rentals on the market Sunday, acquiring right-hander Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays for prospects Brett Bateman and Ty Southisene.
Gausman, 35, checks a lot of boxes for the Cubs, who have also acquired pitchers David Peterson and Aaron Civale in recent weeks. Not only is Gausman the type of frontline starting pitcher that Chicago’s rotation has been missing, but what’s more, for a team looking to go deep into October, he has the postseason pedigree that is sought after by every contender.
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Chicago’s newly acquired right-hander is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts this season, but his 3.51 FIP would suggest that he has been a bit unlucky thus far in 2026. In his postseason career, Gausman has a 3.83 ERA with 56 strikeouts across 56 ⅓ innings.
There might not be a team in baseball that has been hit as hard by injury as the Chicago Cubs this year. And most of that has come in their starting rotation. After right-hander Cade Horton was lost to season-ending elbow surgery, left-hander Justin Steele hit a setback in his rehab and has yet to pitch this season. Right-handers Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera are also currently on the 15-day IL.
Nonetheless, the Cubs have shown they aren’t messing around in their quest to make noise the rest of this season as they try to get back to the playoffs. They designated right-hander Jameson Taillon for assignment on Monday after his struggles continued. He has since been traded to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash.
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Gausman should slot right in at the top of Chicago’s rotation alongside left-handers Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd and David Peterson. The Cubs will have to figure out what to do with right-hander Colin Rea upon the return of Cabrera and/or Brown, but that’s a good problem to have.
Hoyer still has irons in the fire, and as the Monday deadline looms, you can expect the Cubs to continue to augment their roster. They still have needs in the back end of their bullpen and might not be finished adding to the rotation. And because they didn’t have to surrender any of their top prospects to land Gausman, the Cubs still have the prospect capital to make more moves. — Dorsey
Grading this return for the Jays: C+
Although the Blue Jays took two of three from the Cardinals over the weekend, the defending AL champs made their first major subtraction ahead of the deadline in deciding to trade Gausman before he reaches free agency this winter. It’s a somber conclusion to a tremendously successful tenure in Toronto for the right-hander, who didn’t miss a single turn through the Blue Jays rotation since signing a five-year, $110 million free-agent deal; only Logan Webb and Dylan Cease have made more regular-season starts since the beginning of 2022.
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No matter the prospects coming back, this was always going to be a difficult and emotional farewell to a pitcher who endeared himself to the community and fan base at every turn. But trading Gausman is an entirely reasonable decision for the Jays to make given the circumstances, and Toronto landed two intriguing minor-league position players worth monitoring for the future, even if the chances of them making a Gausman-like impact are microscopic.
Bateman is a center fielder; Southisene a shortstop. Southisene bats righty; Bateman swings left-handed. Bateman is three years older. The biographic details differ on the surface, but the pros and cons of their profiles as prospects are remarkably similar. The topline question for both is simple: Can their defense at premium positions, plus speed and exceptional knack for reaching base overcome a lack of raw power at the plate?
Listed at 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, Southisene has yet to hit a home run across 156 professional games since he was drafted out of a Las Vegas-area high school in the fourth round in 2024. (Of note: Ty’s younger brother, Tate, was a first-round pick in 2025 and has broken out this season to become one of the Braves’ top prospects.) Among 477 minor-league hitters with at least 700 plate appearances the past two seasons, Southisene’s .322 slugging percentage ranks 453rd, but his .407 OBP ranks 12th, and he has stolen 72 bases to boot.
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Bateman’s bat isn’t quite that punchless, but it’s similar: Among 145 qualified Triple-A hitters this season, Bateman’s .431 OBP ranks fourth, but his .110 ISO ranks 129th. That both players have a real shot to stick at an up-the-middle position is an obvious buoy for their chances to be useful major leaguers, but such a total lack of slug is rare for regulars in the majors nowadays, so unless Toronto can help them unlock more pop, it’s tough to project these two as anything more than role players. Bateman’s debut could come down the stretch — especially if incumbent center fielder Daulton Varsho is dealt before Monday’s deadline — but the 21-year-old Southisene is at least a couple of years away. — Shusterman
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