AnalysisKevin Gausman made at least 31 starts in each of the previous five seasons. Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn ImagesAug. 2, 2026 Updated 10:39 pm EDTThe Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.Trade details: Chicago Cubs acquire RHP Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays for OF Brett Bateman and IF Ty Southisene.The Cubs needed some starting pitching help after designating Jameson Taillon for assignment, looking for someone who’s reliable and competent. Kevin Gausman is a clear upgrade for them, and it turned out he came at a very reasonable cost.Gausman has regressed a bit this year after giving Toronto four years of ERAs below 4.00 and incredible durability, but he’s still an above-average starter and should help the Cubs. His velocity is down a little, but the bigger problem is that his splitter, long his primary off-speed pitch, isn’t moving as much in either direction, so hitters are hitting it a little harder. Hitters are also faring better against the fastball, which I assume (and to be clear, this is me looking at results and working backwards, not something I picked up from watching him) is connected. The splitter has long been plus and made the fastball more effective because hitters couldn’t distinguish the two.Gausman has mixed in a few more sliders here and there, and it’s not helping matters — he’s given up 15 homers, a third of them off sliders, even though that accounts for just 10 percent of the pitches he’s thrown. Maybe he relegates the slider to the back of the pantry and cooks with just the fastball and splitter? As is, he’s better than Colin Rea, and gives the Cubs some reliability with so many of their starters currently hurt (Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown) or recently so (Matthew Boyd).This feels like a very light return for two months of Gausman, even the 2026 version who’s down from his peak performance. Brett Bateman bounced back after he was beset by a broken hamate bone in 2025 and bottomed out at a .307 slugging percentage. This season, he’s hitting .312/.431/.422 with better contact quality too. He could be the strong side of a center field platoon, or a quality fourth outfielder who can handle all three spots against right-handed pitching. He’s an above-average runner with probably 40 power, enough that he should hit in the .270-280 range with some walks thanks to his strong contact skills. 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.Aug 3, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms