Kevin Gausman didn't see his trade to the Cubs coming, even after weeks of rumors.

He'd heard the speculation ahead of the deadline and even discussed the possibility directly with Toronto's front office.

"We kind of had some conversations a couple days leading up that there was some interest," Gausman told host Rob Bradford on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast. "But the Jays didn't feel like it was going to get to a point where they thought they were going to get what they wanted to trade me."

That messaging led Gausman to believe he'd stay in Toronto through the playoff push. Even after the Blue Jays acquired Jameson Taillon, he still thought he was safe.

"They picked up a starter and I thought, OK, probably going to lose a starter," Gausman said. "I didn't think it was going to be me, to be honest. But this game is crazy and you never know what's going to happen."

How the deal has actually played out in Chicago

The trade sent Gausman to Chicago for outfielder Brett Bateman, with the Cubs hoping to add a veteran voice for their playoff rotation.

He'd delivered exactly that kind of performance for Toronto last October, posting a 2.93 ERA across six playoff appearances.

He won't start the Cubs' Wild Card opener against the Padres after injuring his non-throwing shoulder on a defensive play at third base last week, but he could be in line for Game 2 on Wednesday.

"It's been great since I've been here," Gausman said. "They already had some stuff for me, but they wanted to watch me for a start or two and then give me their two cents. They've been great about tempo and making sure my tempo is the same on every pitch."

He's especially excited about a specific pitch that's sharpened since the move.

"I'm throwing probably the best breaking ball I've thrown in a really long time right now," Gausman said. "Any time you're at my age or my innings in this game and you're learning something new, it's fun and exciting."

Chasing a championship still drives him after all these years. "There's still that sense of 'hey, I want to get a ring.' That's the goal for every guy in there. You can relate to each other."

"It's a different group of guys. They just go about their business a little different. Every clubhouse has a different culture, so it's just about trying to fit into that."

Leaving Toronto wasn't easy. Gausman owned a home in the city, his youngest daughter was born there, and his family had fully embraced life in the city.

"I had been in Toronto for so long and so comfortable with the organization, it was my second home," Gausman said. "We had a home. It was hard to leave, to be honest. A lot of great moments, not so great moments, and this year was a really tough year to be a part of."

"The hardest part was the family aspect. My kids having to go to a new school and trying to make friends in a short period of time. Seeing how much it affected my wife and kids, they got comfortable just like I did."

He's since grown fond of his new home too. "It's a very talented team, really fun fan base. Wrigley Field is really cool to call your home ballpark."

Looking back at last year's World Series run with Toronto, Gausman credits the team's underdog mentality for much of its success.

"That was something I felt like, as a group, we did really good at staying really loose and feeling like we were kind of playing with house money," he said. "Kind of felt like the pressure was on every team that we played, because everybody picked them to beat us."

"You need to go into it expecting it's going to be different than the regular season, especially if you're a pitcher. One of the best things you can do is not put too much pressure on yourself."