Cubs Acquire Clay Holmes, Tyrone Taylor From Mets

The Chicago Cubs have acquired their third starting pitcher of the MLB trade deadline. On Monday afternoon, they added right-hander Clay Holmes in a deal with the New York Mets, sending top infield prospect Jefferson Rojas back to Queens.

The Cubs also got outfielder Tyrone Taylor in this deal. Taylor has a .503 slugging percentage with 10 home runs in 67 games. He’s got serious pop from the right side of the dish, with a barrel rate of 11.9 percent. Overall, a fine player. Not a whole lot of on-base prowess, but doesn’t strike out a ton and hits for power.

The Cubs add Holmes to the acquisitions of right-hander Kevin Gausman and southpaw Braxton Garrett, giving them a complete rotational facelift. In the process, they add a lefty masher with a good glove in the outfield, in exchange for the aforementioned Rojas.

Holmes has a 2.39 ERA in nine starts, but hasn’t pitched since May 15 due to a fractured right fibula. However, he made a rehab start on Aug. 2, so he’s nearing a return.

How do these two teams make out in this trade? Let’s break it down.

The Cubs’ Side

Again, the Cubs have given their rotation a facelift in the past 24 hours. Starting with Gausman, then Garrett, now Holmes.

Holmes is a fascinating arm at this juncture. Sure, he’s emerged as a steady innings eater since signing with the Mets. However, he’s got pedigree as a top-flight reliever.

For a team with a good — not great — bullpen ERA of 3.88, Holmes makes sense in high leverage. With him built up as a starter, especially come October, he’s someone who could factor in as a multi-inning leverage arm against a pocket of righties.

He’s got a turbo sinker that plays up in a max-effort role like a reliever. He’s also got experience in a couple of big markets, so not somebody shy under the microscope.

Additionally, Taylor brings a prowess as a left-handed pitcher killer. This year, he’s got a 146 wRC+ against southpaws. Just one walk, but five home runs in 77 plate appearances. The Cubs hit lefties well, and their outfielders have a 113 wRC+ against them. However, you can never have too many good hitters on your roster.

Ultimately, this deal is about getting Holmes. While it remains to be seen what exactly his role will be, they have clearly prioritized arms. Mission accomplished.

The Mets’ Side

This is a quality-over-quantity return for the Mets, who could use an infusion of youth, especially on the infield.

Rojas is slashing .270/.339/.461 with a 114 wRC+ in 91 games in Double-A this season. He is a true middle infield prospect.

Does he stick at shortstop long term? Maybe not, especially with Francisco Lindor under contract. That said, Marcus Semien, who is currently New York’s second baseman, is on the older side and hasn’t produced for the Mets in 2026.

He’s under control through 2028, but perhaps they can find a pathway for Rojas at some point next season or the following. That said, given the market this deadline, it’s hard to come away from this feeling like the Mets couldn’t have gotten more for both, or if they broke this into multiple deals.

With that in mind, the Mets had a glaring need to sell and try to get some silver linings out of a lost year. Shedding payroll, recouping future assets, and resetting this winter. Rojas definitely helps them do that. The lone remaining question is where does he fit long term?

Are the Cubs Big Deadline Winners?

The Cubs had a need for starters, and boy did they deliver on that need. They are middle of the pack in starting pitcher ERA, but several key injuries and poor performances led them down this path of dominating the pitching market.

Gausman is a rental with great under-the-hood metrics, Holmes is (essentially) another rental with experience as a high-leverage reliever, and Garrett is a controllable southpaw. Garrett has only two outings in MLB this year, but has a 2.90 ERA in 16 outings with the Miami Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate.

The duo of Gausman and Holmes have a 3.80 ERA with 3.9 fWAR across 180 innings. Both guys chew up quality innings and give the Cubs much-needed pedigree for the dog days of August and September.

For National League contenders, approaching the deadline was going to be all about how to best equip themselves to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. The best course of action may be run prevention, and the Cubs are attacking that premise at full bore.