Baseball
Baseball
Cubs Acquire Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor in Deadline Deal with Mets
The Cubs bolstered their roster on Monday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the Mets in exchange for infield prospect Jefferson Rojas, who ranks as the Cubs’ second-best prospect and 63rd overall in baseball. This marks the second trade between the two clubs this season, following the Cubs’ acquisition of pitcher David Peterson in June.
Holmes, 33, has been sidelined since mid-May with a fractured fibula, an injury sustained on a comebacker. Prior to the injury, he was a reliable starter for the Mets, having made the transition from reliever to starter before the 2025 season. Across 40 starts and two relief appearances for the Mets, Holmes has posted a 3.26 ERA. He is currently on a minor league rehab assignment, having completed his third start on Sunday, and is nearing a return to the major league mound. His contract includes a $12 million player option for 2027, which he is expected to decline.
Taylor, a defense-oriented outfielder, has been in strong offensive form recently, hitting seven home runs with a 1.311 OPS in 24 games since returning from a hip injury on June 28. He will become a free agent at the end of the current season. Holmes, known for his heavy sinker, has expanded his pitching repertoire since becoming a starter, adding a changeup, cutter, and curveball to complement his sinker and sweeper.
The addition of Holmes further strengthens a Cubs rotation that has faced injuries this season. He joins Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, and Kevin Gausman, who was acquired on Sunday night, as key rotation pieces. The Cubs also anticipate the return of Edward Cabrera in mid-August and Ben Brown, who had a strong start to the season before a neck injury.
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