Kevin Gausman Expected To Make Cubs Debut Against Royals On Friday Night

Kevin Gausman has been connected to the Chicago Cubs since the beginning of his career. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the team had asked about his availability for years.

When Chicago finally landed the right-hander in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, well, it wasn't much of a surprise.

"When I told my wife it was the Cubs, she was like, ‘It’s about time,’" Gausman said. "Because just in Baltimore [with the Orioles] for years, it seemed like it was kind of always a link to here. ... Happy that I’m here finally."

Gausman was added to Chicago's active roster before Wednesday's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Left-hander Antoine Kelly was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The 35-year-old Gausman is expected to make his Cubs debut Friday night at the Kansas City Royals, joining a revamped rotation that also includes Clay Holmes. The Cubs also added reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander Braxton Garrett in two other deals ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

"Being a part of a team when they can bring guys in, and you know that they’re going for it, it’s almost like a shot of adrenaline and can kind of breathe some life into the team," Gausman said. "It doesn’t seem like this team needs it, to be honest, but still excited to be here."

Gausman is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts this season. He was tagged for seven runs and seven hits in two innings in a 16-2 loss to the Cubs on June 19.

But the durable Gausman brings a solid track record to Chicago. He pitched at least 174 2/3 innings and made at least 31 starts in each of the previous five years. He worked 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Toronto’s 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.

Gausman also helped Toronto reach