​Just hours after acquiring starting pitcher Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs, the Toronto Blue Jays struck another deal with the Cubs on Sunday night, sending out right-hander Kevin Gausman to the North Side for outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene.Mitch Bannon of ‘The Athletic’ had the original report.There’s no real surprise here, as we’ve speculated for weeks that Gausman could be dealt, and the team’s recent hot streak didn’t change that. At 52-60, the Blue Jays are just 4.5 games back of the the third and final wild card spot in the American League, so there is a theoretical chance that they could get hot enough to sneak into the playoffs, but with Gausman being a free agent at the end of the season, that chance wasn’t great enough to persuade the front office to stand pat.A 14-year veteran of the Baltimore Orioles, Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, and Cincinnati Reds, Gausman has gone 117-123 for his career with a 3.85 ERA. However, he’s been very good for Toronto over five seasons, going 53-51 with a 3.62 ERA.He led the American League in strikeouts in 2023 with 237, and he still has excellent swing-and-miss stuff, but he’s had a much tougher year this season. He’s 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA.He threw 5.2 innings in Saturday’s win over the St. Louis Cardinals, exiting to a great ovation from the Rogers Centre faithful.Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Brian Fluharty-Imagn ImagesSigned to a five-year deal before the 2022 campaign, Gausman helped the Jays get to the playoffs in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Obviously, last year’s team went to Game 7 of the World Series, falling just short against the Los Angeles Dodgers.With the trade of Gausman now complete, the acquisition of Taillon makes even more sense. He’ll likely backfill Gausman’s spot in the rotation, and there’s still a chance that Shane Bieber could be traded ahead of Monday’s deadline (6 p.m. ET).As for the return? Southisene was ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the Cubs organization. Listed at 5-foot-7, he’s hit .306 this season at a combination of Single-A and High-A. Bateman was listed as the No. 21 prospect for the Cubs, and he’s hitting .312 in 82 games for Triple-A Iowa. He’s carrying a .430 on-base percentage with three home runs, 18 doubles and 20 stolen bases.The Blue Jays are back in action on Monday against the Houston Astros, who have won 11 of their last 12 games to pull into first place in the American League West.