Kevin Gausman Reportedly Traded to Cubs from Blue Jays Ahead of MLB Deadline, Full Details Revealed

Less than a year after winning the American League pennant, the Toronto Blue Jays are going into selling mode ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

The reigning AL champions are trading starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Mitch Bannon.

According to MLB.com, shortstop Ty Southisene (No. 13) and outfielder Brett Bateman (No. 21) were among the Cubs' top 30 prospects.

This will be a boost for a Cubs team that has seen its pitching staff severely hampered by injuries throughout the season. Despite all of the injuries, Chicago is in second place in the National League Central, sitting at 6.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. The team is, however, four games up in the wild card race.

Meanwhile, at 52-60, Toronto is 13.5 games back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the division and 4.5 games out of the final wild-card spot. The Blue Jays haven't been a complete disaster, but missing the postseason is a strong possibility.

Gausman is heading into free agency this winter as well, and he may choose to walk away from baseball altogether.

"I think it's definitely a possibility," he said in February, per The Athletic's Mitch Bannon. "I have really loved my time here. Do I know what's ahead of me? I don't really know. No idea. It's something that I have definitely thought about in the offseason. But now that we're here, I'm just focused on this year. I'm gonna give everything I have for this organization and this team this year. What's beyond that? I really have no idea."

Through 23 starts, Gausman has a 5-10 record and 4.38 ERA, yet those numbers don't tell the full story as to his performance on the mound.

The right-hander boasts a 3.51 FIP, which is on par with his career average (3.59), and his 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings are up slightly compared to the past two years.

Gausman hasn't lost a lot of velocity, either. His four-seam fastball is hovering around 93 and 94 mph, which is lower than its peak but not to a significant degree.

By and large, opposing hitters know what they're going to see from Gausman. He relies on a heavy dose of fastballs and splitters. Thanks to his control, he remains effective.

Durability is another mark in the two-time All-Star's favor. He has logged 100-plus innings in 12 of the last 13 years, and the lone outlier was the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Teams in need of pitching help had some options at the deadline aside from Tarik Skubal, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. The Minnesota Twins' Joe Ryan, Los Angeles Angels' Reid Detmers and Miami Marlins' Sandy Alcantara are among the notable candidates.

Because of his age and contract status, Gausman was bound to be available for a reasonable cost, and what he lacks in upside he should make up for by having a high floor in the stretch run.

He will have a positive impact in the middle of Chicago's rotation.