The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.Few defined this Toronto Blue Jays era better than Kevin Gausman.The lanky, long-haired righty made every start for four-plus years. He took the ball on Opening Day, he toed the rubber in the dog days and he was ready for the World Series. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may be a 20-year Jay and George Springer kickstarted years of spending, but Gausman was the core’s reliable constant. That era — the Gausman era — is now over.The starting pitcher was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday for two prospects, outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene. It’s the first of what’s expected to be several goodbyes ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, and it may be the hardest.It was the sort of trade that nobody, except perhaps the Cubs, was thrilled to make. Toronto’s front office didn’t want to trade Gausman, the player didn’t want to exit and the fanbase didn’t want to let go. But for Toronto (52-60), dwindling playoff odds and lack of offensive life turned this season into a sell-off. That meant trading Gausman, whose contract expires at the end of the season.Maybe he returns to Toronto for another year. Maybe Gausman comes back just for a day to retire a Jay. Maybe one day he’ll be in the crowd with his two daughters and wife, who, manager John Schneider said, became staples of the community. But none of that is guaranteed.The Jays needed to get younger and more athletic this deadline. Bateman and Southisene, who both possess elite contact and speed, certainly bring that. But few players connected with a fanbase and a city like Gausman did. Few spoke so openly and so often about their love for the franchise. Nobody else drank beer from British Columbia after games and planned to travel across Canada after they retired.