Cubs Acquire Kevin Gausman for Brett Bateman, Ty Southisene
The Cubs have acquired one of the three pitchers they are hoping to add ahead of the trade deadline, picking up 35-year-old righty Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays. In exchange, Toronto received minor league shortstop Ty Southisene (No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) and minor league outfielder Brett Bateman (No. 21). There have been no reports about money being exchanged, so the Cubs will presumably take on the remaining $7.3 million or so on Gausman’s deal.
Of course, a lot of that money will be picked up by the Jays in the form of Jameson Taillon‘s deal. The two teams finalized that deal earlier on Sunday in what some felt at the time was a precursor to Gausman coming to Chicago. Interestingly enough, the newest Cub could face his old team when the Jays come to Wrigley this coming Thursday.
Though he’s a few years removed from a three-year stretch of Cy Young contention and his 4.38 ERA is a bit elevated, Gausman could benefit from a change of scenery. Toronto’s defense ranks 13th with 18 defensive runs saved and 15th with three outs above average, a far cry from the Cubs’ top-ranked numbers of 76 and 53 in those respective categories.
Gausman’s strikeout and walk rates are well in line with his historical averages, and he could benefit from being in the thick of a playoff race again. He’s posted mild reverse splits over the course of his career, a trend that has been slightly magnified this season, so it’s almost like adding a lefty to the rotation. That’s due to his splitter being such a weapon for him and getting heavier usage against lefties, though that pitch has slipped a little this season.
If the Cubs’ pitching gurus can work on some sort of unlock, or if it’s just a matter of recalibrating mentally in a new uniform, this could present a big improvement over either Colin Rea or Javier Assad. Not that either has been bad by any stretch, especially of late, but Gausman misses more bats and has postseason experience. More to come on this and the other moves the Cubs will be making before Monday’s deadline.
