Less than a year after winning the American League pennant, the Toronto Blue Jays are going into selling mode ahead of the MLB trade deadline.<\/p>\n
The reigning AL champions are trading starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Mitch Bannon<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to MLB.com<\/a>, shortstop Ty Southisene (No. 13) and outfielder Brett Bateman (No. 21) were among the Cubs’ top 30 prospects.<\/p>\n This will be a boost for a Cubs team that has seen its pitching staff severely hampered by injuries throughout the season. Despite all of the injuries, Chicago is in second place in the National League Central, sitting at 6.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. The team is, however, four games up in the wild card race.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, at 52-60, Toronto is 13.5 games back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the division and 4.5 games out of the final wild-card spot. The Blue Jays haven’t been a complete disaster, but missing the postseason is a strong possibility.<\/p>\n Gausman is heading into free agency this winter as well, and he may choose to walk away from baseball altogether.<\/p>\n “I think it’s definitely a possibility,” he said in February, per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon<\/a>. “I have really loved my time here. Do I know what’s ahead of me? I don’t really know. No idea. It’s something that I have definitely thought about in the offseason. But now that we’re here, I’m just focused on this year. I’m gonna give everything I have for this organization and this team this year. What’s beyond that? I really have no idea.”<\/p>\n