A Closer Look at Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman

[Cory Sparks]

The Toronto Blue Jays are swinging deals, and one of those was trading Kevin Gausman out of Canada in exchange for some Chicago Cubs farmhands. The Jays got prospects Ty Southisene (the Cubs' former No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Brett Bateman (No. 21). Let’s take a closer look at what those two bring to the table in exchange for a 14-year MLB veteran in Gausman. 

Who Is Ty Southisene?

Ty Southisene is the headliner of the Jays’ return package, nestling in as their No. 16 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old shortstop prospect is on the smaller side, holding a 5-foot-7, 170-pound frame. He was originally a fourth-round pick in the 2024 MLB draft, as the Cubs selected him for his high baseball IQ and ability to flash a promising hit tool with plenty of speed.

Southisene got to work in 2025, playing 90 of his 91 games with the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. For someone who has to make up for a 20-grade power tool, Southisene found ways to do just about everything else. He logged 36 runs batted in and managed to accumulate eight extra-base hits (six doubles, two triples) in his first year of professional baseball.

A Closer Look

Taking a closer look at Southisene, he simply possesses elite hand-eye coordination. The middle-infielder’s 21.2 percent whiff rate is in the 86th percentile, and he’s striking out only 12.7 percent of the time (97th percentile), per prospect savant. He’s more of a one- or two-tool player, but if those tools (hit, run) are elite, he could glide up the Jays’ minor league ladder. 

Maturity and Blistering Speed

Southisene is expected to start with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, and he’ll bring a remarkable sense of plate discipline with him. The rising shortstop tallied 63 walks to 59 punchouts in 2025, and his 41 walks to 37 punchouts this year show that even as he rises up the minor league ladder, Southisene is one of the stingiest hitters in the lower levels of affiliate ball.

Toronto’s newest prospect is slashing .305/.425/.372 (.797 OPS) in 66 contests this year, and his speed has been on full display from day one. On one hand, his quickness allows him to be one of the more rangey prospects out there. On the other hand, he’s logged 12 errors and had just a .937 fielding percentage through 57 games at the shortstop position.

His run-tool, listed at a 55-grade, may be due for an upgrade soon. The speedy middle infielder has 72 stolen bases in 157 professional games. Fellow speedsters like Chandler Simpson have shown that there’s still an everyday starting spot for someone who can rely on quickness, but Southisene has a long way to go before those big league conversations can formulate. 

Welcome, Brett Bateman!

Brett Bateman, while he’s ranked slightly below Southisene, is the more polished of the two prospects. The 24-year-old outfielder is 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds. The lefty was an eighth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, as the Cubs selected him out of the University of Minnesota. 

Bateman is another speed-first prospect, earning a 70-grade run tool, but his power is a bit more prevalent than the aforementioned Southisene. Bateman has 83 stolen bags in 315 games, but his career-high .851 OPS this season shows that he can be more than just a runner. 

The Gophers alum has developed “doubles power” this year, peppering the gaps with a career-best 18 doubles across 82 contests. He notched a pair of triples and had three home runs for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs before this trade took place. 

Diving Deeper

Above all else, this is someone who can also make for a stingy at-bat. Similar to Southisene, Bateman walks a ton (17.5%, 92nd percentile per prospect savant). He’s earned 60 walks to just 66 strikeouts this year, and his 218 free passes to 253 punchouts have held around that ratio for all four years of his professional career. 

Batmena also has a remarkable sense for the strike zone, with a Z-Contract percentage of 85.71 percent. He ranks below the league average in 90th percentile exit velocity, barrel percentage and hard-hit rate, but much like Southisene, the chase rate (20.8 percent, 86th percentile) and whiff rate (16.4 percent, 89th percentile) are impossible to ignore for someone who was on the doorstep of the major leagues this year.

Speed for the Future

The Blue Jays have landed two players with similar profiles, but they play different positions. Southisene is a minor league speedster who could break into the big leagues in a couple of years, while Bateman’s plate discipline and raw speed could net him into the show by the end of this year.

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