When the Blue Jays sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, Toronto fans felt the loss right away. Gausman had become part of the team’s identity over the previous five seasons, and the move also came at a time when the Blue Jays’ playoff hopes were fading fast.
What didn’t register immediately was how much the return package might matter. Brett Bateman, one of the players Toronto got back along with Ty Southisene, has already turned that deal into something a lot closer to a win for the Blue Jays.
Bateman didn’t just fit in once he arrived. He jumped in from the minors, proved he could handle the majors, and then became Toronto’s most productive hitter over the stretch run. In 41 games, he hit .329 with an .826 OPS, scored 28 runs, added seven doubles, hit two home runs and drove in 11.
But the numbers only tell part of it. Bateman changed the way the Blue Jays could play.
His speed gave them a real threat on the bases, and his willingness to do the little things - bunting and sacrifice hits - added a different layer to the lineup. Toronto suddenly had a more traditional table-setter.
That matters in today’s game, where teams often stack their biggest stars at the top of the order. Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr. and George Springer are all examples of that approach. For now, Bateman looks like he could hold down the leadoff spot for Toronto moving forward.
Southisene gives the deal even more upside. He posted a .300 average and close to .800 OPS, while stealing 34 bases across 77 minor league games split between two organizations this year.
Gausman did help the Cubs get to the playoffs. He went 4-2 down the stretch with a 4.83 ERA, allowing 11 home runs in 50 innings for the South Siders.
Those results were a little worse than what he had been putting up with Toronto before the trade. And in the end, Chicago was knocked out of the NL Wild Card seris with Gausman on the mound in the deciding game.
There’s still one more twist here: Toronto could look at bringing Gausman back this offseason. If that happens, the Blue Jays would have an even stronger case as the winners of the trade.
Even without that reunion, Bateman’s emergence - plus the possibility that Southisene becomes another useful piece - gives Toronto a real chance to look back on this as one of its best trades of the decade so far.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr.s 2026 season left the Blue Jays with a bigger question than they expected to be asking so soon. A player who had long been counted on as the middle-of-the-order anchor finished with a sharply reduced power output, and the drop-off was stark enough to force Toronto to take a hard look at where things stand heading into the offseason.
For the Blue Jays, this is not just about one down year. It is about whether Guerrero can get back to the kind of impact that once made him look like one of the leagues most reliable run producers, because that answer could shape how aggressively the club moves around him this winter. The organization has to decide how much faith to place in a rebound before it starts making larger roster choices. [Read more 🡒]
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Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Risky Second Base Decision To Make
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One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Jazz Chisholm Jr., a player whose power-speed mix would certainly fit the profile of an upgrade if Toronto decided to shop in the higher end of the market. The appeal is obvious, but so are the questions, because Chisholm is a pending free agent with a track record that comes with real upside and real risk, and there is no sign yet that the Blue Jays are actually pushing hard in that direction. [Read more 🡒]