On Sunday it was reported that the Chicago Cubs have traded for RHP Kevin Gausman.
Here were the odds for Gausman’s next team on DraftKings Sportsbook before the trade.
Here are the full trade details:
Toronto Blue Jays Receive:
- OF Brett Bateman
- INF Ty Southisene
Chicago Cubs Receive:
- RHP Kevin Gausman
Trade Grade:
Blue Jays- Southisene was the #13 prospect in the Cubs organization while Bateman was #21. Southisene is a 5-foot, 7-inch, 170-pound, 21-year-old shortstop who bats from the right side. He has little to no power, but the baseball IQ is high and the speed is legit. During his two-year minor league career, Southisene has stolen 41 and 31 bases while posting walk and strikeout rates in the teens. Bateman is 24 years old, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, patrols the outfield and bats from the left side. Like Southisene, Bateman has little pop but plenty of speed. Throughout his minor league career, the strikeout rate has been in the high-teens, with a peak above 20% twice, while the walk rates have been in the 15-18% range. He stole 20 and 30 bases over the last two seasons. The Toronto Blue Jays are currently 28th in strikeout rate and dead-last in ISO, so Southisene and Bateman fit the organizational profile to a T.
Grade: B
Cubs- At 35 years old, Gausman is still ticking like a Swiss-made watch. While the strikeout rate has fallen from the peak of 32.2% in 2020, it’s still a respectable 23.5%. The ERA is 4.38, but he’s been unlucky with a .313 BABIP and 67.4% strand rate. The FIP is much lower at 3.51. Gausman has only given up 15 home runs in 127.1 innings. While he may not reach the 180+ innings he pitched the prior three seasons, Gausman should be a horse down the stretch for Chicago. The Cubs were 24th in both K/9 and FIP prior to the acquisition. Gausman is a huge injection into the rotation that consists of Matthew Boyd, Javier Assad, Shota Imanaga and David Peterson. The cost wasn’t high for exactly what Chicago needed for the stretch run.
Grade: A
