Kevin Gausman almost ended up with the Yankees, and Brett Bateman is why the Jays are glad he didn't.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported New York even talked to Toronto about Gausman while trying to patch holes before the deadline.
The Yankees also chased impact relievers and could have landed Adley Rutschman from Baltimore had they parted with a package heavy on major-league talent.
In the end, they got neither. New York settled for offensive help in Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos instead, hampered by a thin bullpen market and a depleted farm system.
For Toronto, that outcome looks better by the week. Trading Gausman to Chicago kept him out of the AL East entirely, avoiding a scenario where a former rotation anchor helps a division rival chase October.
Gausman has struggled with the Cubs regardless, posting a 5.14 ERA through his first five starts there.
But the return continues to age well. The names Brett Bateman and Ty Southisene didn't generate much excitement when the trade was first announced.
Why the Yankees likely couldn't have matched this return
Bateman alone is changing that perception. Through his first 20 games with Toronto, he's hitting .317 with a .367 on-base percentage and a .757 OPS.
He's collected 26 hits in 82 at-bats, scored 10 runs, driven in seven, and stolen three bases, adding a 2.9 defensive fWAR that's upgraded Toronto's outfield.
Since his arrival, Toronto's offense has posted a .333 team OBP and a .271 average, a real jump from a league-worst 91 wRC+ through the first 116 games.
The Blue Jays have posted a 110 wRC+ since Bateman joined the roster, a genuine transformation in a short window.
It's fair to question whether the Yankees even had a similar player to offer. Their top Triple-A prospects skew toward pitching, and outfielder Jace Avina, one of their more interesting bats, has spent the year at Double-A.
Avina is hitting .254 with 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases over 108 games, a productive season but not the same immediate fit Bateman has become.
Southisene, a 21-year-old middle infielder, has hit .300 with 90 hits and 34 stolen bases across 77 minor-league games this year, rounding out a return that keeps looking sharper the longer this stretch continues.
Maybe New York could have built a competitive offer. But the cost of strengthening a division rival while watching a former ace pitch against them for a playoff spot would have stung far worse than any prospect gap ever could.
Are you glad the Blue Jays traded Kevin Gausman to the Cubs instead of the Yankees?
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