Kevin Gausman was acquired by the Cubs, ostensibly, because of his extensive postseason experience and in particular, how he starred for the Blue Jays in 2025.
Gausman’s regular season numbers for Toronto this year weren’t that great, though some of his peripherals suggested he could return to his 2025 form.
Welp. That didn’t work out too well, did it? In nine starts for the Cubs Gausman was measurably worse (4.83 ERA, 1.232 WHIP) than he was for the Jays (23 starts, 4.38 ERA, 1.288 WHIP). In particular,
Gausman fell victim to the same thing many other Cubs pitchers did in 2026 — the long ball. In 50.1 innings for the Cubs, Gausman allowed 11 home runs. He’d allowed 15 homers in 127.1 innings for the Jays.
Whatever’s causing that for Cubs pitching, they need to get it fixed before 2027.
Gausman started Game 2 of the Wild Card Series and it did not go well, as he allowed five hits and three runs in 3.1 innings.
Gausman is an unrestricted free agent — no options of any kind. He turns 36 in January. He loved playing in Toronto:
In fact, Gausman and his family went back to visit Toronto on a Cubs off day in September.
Seems possible, if the right-hander wants to continue playing, that’s the likely landing spot.
It was, I think, a worthwhile attempt, the deal bringing Gausman to the Cubs. Brett Bateman, the key piece in the deal, played 41 games for the Jays and batted .329/.402/.424, producing 2.2 bWAR. That’s quite good. But Bateman was blocked in Chicago by Pete Crow-Armstrong and so this was a good opportunity for him. The other player in the deal, Ty Southisene, is only 20 and has yet to play above A ball.
We should all wish Gausman well. I don’t think the Cubs should bring him back, though.
