The Cubs have landed reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes from the Mets and outfielder Tyrone Taylor in a trade deadline deal to fill two major needs, according to the New York Post. Jefferson Rojas, the Cubs' No. 2 prospect, is headed back to New York.
The 33-year-old Holmes has been sidelined since the middle of May after a comebacker fractured his fibula, but he's already three starts into his minor-league rehab assignment and will soon be ready for activation from the injured list.
This season, Holmes had once again been quite effective prior to suffering the leg injury, and his work in 2026 advanced what's been a highly successful transition from bullpen work earlier in his career. Holmes made the jump to starter after signing with the Mets as a free agent prior to the 2025 season. Across 40 starts and a pair of relief appearances for the Mets, Holmes has pitched to a 3.26 ERA/127 ERA+ with an FIP of 3.89. In his first season as a starter in 2025, Holmes was able to log a qualifying number of innings.
Holmes is owed the balance of a $13 million salary for the remainder of the season. His contract includes a $12 million player option for 2027, but he seems highly likely to decline that option and re-enter the free agent market this coming winter.
The Cubs rotation has been banged up all season, but it's potentially crowded down the road. Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga are staples. David Peterson has mostly thrown well since the Cubs acquired him from the Mets. Kevin Gausman (acquired Sunday night) and Holmes have now joined the rotation. Colin Rea and Javier Assad are depth pieces who could be used in long relief. Edward Cabrera is expected to return from injury in mid-August. Ben Brown, who was great earlier in the season before his neck injury, has started throwing. Justin Steele is also continuing to rehab from Tommy John surgery.
The Cubs have been seeking bullpen help, too, and have traded for power arm Ryan Zeferjahn. Further, given their newfound abundance of starting pitchers, it's reasonable to believe they'll move some of them to the bullpen. Hunter Harvey and Hoby Milner will likely return soon enough and the Cubs will still hope for a healthy return from closer Daniel Palencia.
With eyes on the playoffs, the Cubs could have a rotation of Gausman, Holmes, Boyd and Imanaga while Cabrera, Rea, Assad and Brown take bullpen roles. There's always innings for pitchers, especially in the postseason.
Tyrone Taylor, meanwhile, is a rental and a good defender, and has been on a major heater over the last several weeks. The Cubs will hope he can keep that up as a fourth outfielder. And with Ian Happ's struggles, maybe Taylor gets time in left field as a starter.
For the Mets, the seller's move by lead executive David Stearns comes amidst a deeply disappointing season that's seen them tumble from contending status in each of the last two seasons to last place in the National League East. They have already shipped out Luke Weaver, A.J. Minter and Huascar Brazoban over the deadline.
Rojas, a 21-year-old third baseman, is hitting .270/.339/.461 with 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 RBI, 58 runs and 17 steals in Double-A this season. MLB Pipeline ranked him No. 2 in the Cubs organization, praising his pitch-recognition and bat-to-ball skills.
Here are our grades for each team.
Chicago Cubs: A-
The Cubs added a rental starter in Gausman, so they were likely trying to grab a pitcher under team control for another few seasons on Monday. Holmes isn't that, as there's a player option for 2027 that he's unlikely to exercise. That's the only reason for the minus being tacked on to that A. Holmes was outstanding in his nine starts before injury and could resemble a frontline guy the rest of the season and into the playoffs. That's a big get for the Cubs. Taylor is helpful as well, especially with Happ's significant struggles.
New York Mets: B
Holmes and Taylor were both gone after this season, so there was no reason for the Mets to hold onto them. As such, they were without a ton of leverage and did well to get the Cubs' No. 2 prospect. That says more about the Cubs' farm system, though, as Rojas isn't a top 100 prospect overall. He's a good get, not a great one. That means we can land on a B here and feel good enough.
