CHICAGO — Kevin Gausman will bring instant credibility into the Wrigley Field clubhouse as the Chicago Cubs attempt to catch the Milwaukee Brewers and stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from a three-peat. While the challenge is enormous, the addition of Gausman plus a flurry of pitching moves before Monday’s trade deadline significantly raised the club’s ceiling.Gausman, 35, posted two quality starts against the Dodgers in last year’s World Series. But respect is earned not just through All-Star Games or Cy Young Award votes or the big contract. It’s how a player carries himself through the highs and the lows.Before becoming a central figure in the renaissance of the Toronto Blue Jays, Gausman bounced around, needing time to refine his craft and maximize the potential that the baseball industry saw from an early age.At LSU, where he once hosted Alex Bregman on a college recruiting visit, Gausman developed into the No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft. When things didn’t consistently click with the Baltimore Orioles, the Cubs circled Gausman as a possible change-of-scenery candidate, perhaps the next Jake Arrieta.Instead, the Orioles packaged Gausman with Darren O’Day in a trade with the Atlanta Braves at the 2018 deadline. One year and one week later, the Cincinnati Reds selected Gausman off waivers as his career reached a crossroads.“He’s an awesome dude,” said Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who played with Gausman in Atlanta. “One of the things I love about Gaus is he got drafted high, hit some bumps along the road, stuck with it and became a really, really frickin’ good pitcher. He’s battled through the adversity.”After several missed opportunities to get Gausman, the Cubs should benefit from all of his accumulated experiences. For Jed Hoyer, trading Triple-A outfielder Brett Bateman and Class-A infielder Ty Southisene in Sunday night’s deal with the Blue Jays was only the beginning of a buying spree.