Peason had a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings after being acquired from the Blue Jays last summer. There’s been a little talk about giving him another try as a starter, but the Cubs would seem to have more need for him in the pen anyway. He’ll likely audition for a setup role in spring training.

The umps decided it was intentional since Jeimer Candelario had just homered in the previous at-bat. That seemed like a stretch from here, but oh well. Stephenson was fine, fortunately, and he remained in the game. Pearson was making his Cubs debut after being acquired Saturday.

The trade is now official. The quintessential modern-era “does not work, but could be fun to fix” meme personified as a change of scenery reclamation project, Pearson will at a bare minimum provide a lift to Chicago’s relief corps moving forward since he won’t reach free agency until after the 2026 season. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect boasts a lackluster 5.63 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 51/17 K/BB ratio across 40 innings (41 appearances) this season, but is absolutely talented enough to make an impact at the highest level for Chicago over the next few years. His career played out vastly different relative to scouts and evaluators lofty expectations, but he’ll continue to get opportunities over the next few years because of that prospect pedigree.

If there was any doubt the Blue Jays were going to be sellers at next week’s trade deadline, this is merely the latest indication that they’re headed for a full-scale teardown. No word yet on the potential return for Toronto. It’s a solid acquisition for the Cubs since Pearson has a few years left before reaching free agency and should help bolster their high-leverage mix. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect never quite blossomed into the elite fantasy starter many envisioned, but he’s made an impact as a solid reliever the last few years.