The Cubs have acquired Kevin Gausman in a deadline deal, bolstering their rotation with a seasoned starter.
The 35-year-old Gausman has struggled with a declining strikeout rate and a sagging velocity this season, but his swinging-strike rate, walk rate, and ground-ball rate remain similar to his 2024 and 2025 performances. His average exit velocity is even slightly better, at 88.4 mph.
Gausman's 3.95 xERA and 3.51 FIP suggest he deserves better than his current ERA, which has hovered above 4.00 this season. The Cubs are counting on him to turn it around, particularly in the second half.
Gausman will join a more forgiving offense in Chicago, which could help him improve his numbers.
The trade is a significant addition to the Cubs' rotation, which has been a weakness this season.
Gausman's stock holds steady with this move, and he was already a buy-low candidate before the trade.
The Cubs are looking to make a push for the playoffs, and Gausman's addition could be a key factor in their success.
Gausman's performance will be closely watched, especially given his history of improving in the second half of the season.
The Cubs will be hoping that Gausman can regain some of the form that made him a promising starter in the past.
The team's offense is expected to provide Gausman with more support than he had in his previous team, which could help him improve his numbers.
The Cubs are counting on Gausman to help them make a deep run in the playoffs, and his performance will be crucial to their success.
In related news, the Nationals traded Garcia to the Yankees, and the Rays acquired Peralta from the Mets.
The Nationals got a surprisingly light return for Garcia's breakout season, with only a couple of relievers and two prospects ranked outside the team's top 10.
Garcia's limitation has been a lack of playing time against lefties, and his trade to the Yankees doesn't change that much.
Garcia was a good player held back by his lack of everyday at-bats, and he still is.
The Yankees are likely to use Garcia as a righty-mashing partner to pair with Paul Goldschmidt at first base.
Garcia's playing time is expected to remain limited, particularly against lefties.
Garcia's trade doesn't fundamentally alter how we view him for Fantasy Baseball.
The Rays acquired Peralta from the Mets, who have to believe they have a plan to fix whatever has gone wrong for them since he arrived.
Peralta's main problem is his lack of strikeouts, which has dropped to a 22.1% rate this season.
The Rays have to figure out why Peralta's slider has been so much worse this season and how to get it back.
Peralta's changeup, curveball, and fastball whiff rates are all similar to last year's numbers, but his slider has been getting crushed.
The Rays are on the shortlist of teams that can fix slightly dented and broken pitchers, and making a change-of-scenery bet for Peralta makes sense.
Peralta's trade is a lateral move in lineup context, but it doesn't fundamentally alter how we view him for Fantasy Baseball.
The Dodgers completed the trade for Skubal, sending three prospects to the Tigers.
The trade is a significant addition to the Dodgers' rotation, which has been a strength this season.
Skubal has a 1.95 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 12.2 K/9 over his past six starts.
Skubal's performance will be closely watched, especially given his history of improving in the second half of the season.
The Dodgers are looking to make a push for the playoffs, and Skubal's addition could be a key factor in their success.
The Dodgers will be hoping that Skubal can regain some of the form that made him a promising starter in the past.
The trade for Skubal is a significant addition to the Dodgers' rotation, which has been a strength this season.
The Dodgers will be looking to make a deep run in the playoffs, and Skubal's performance will be crucial to their success.
Source: CBS
