Ready to come off the injured list, Clay Holmes will do so with the Cubs. A little under two months since the Cubs & Mets made a trade that involved starting pitcher David Peterson, Chicago acquired both him & Tyrone Taylor in exchange for Jefferson Rojas, a high-end shortstop in the Cubs’ system.

The Cubs’ Return

• SP Clay Holmes (2.39 ERA, 45 K over 52 IP)
• OF Tyrone Taylor (.241/.290/.503, 10 HR & 18 XBH)

Before Clay Holmes suffered a fractured fibula in May, the right-hander was in the midst of a fantastic sophomore season as a starter with the Mets, one year after he moved into the role.

Signed as a starter in 2024, Holmes expanded his arsenal to include a changeup, a curveball, and a four-seam fastball to work off the sinker and sweeper that made up his bread-and-butter arsenal as a Yankee. And while he struggled with dealing with myriad runners on base back in 2025, things got better for him in 2026.

Despite those changes, though, Holmes is still very much a groundball pitcher by nature.

Holmes has a player option for 2027.

The other piece to this deal is Tyrone Taylor, a versatile outfielder who can play all three outfield positions, plus provide some pop.

Taylor is a left-handed killer, as he slashed .308/.316/.615 with six home runs versus opposite-sided pitchers between the Majors & Minors this season.

The Mets’ Return

• SS Jefferson Rojas (.270/.339/.461, 15 HR & 35 XBH over 91 GP (AA))

Arguably the second-best prospect in the Cubs’ system, Rojas struggled in his first run at Double-A Knoxville last season. But that was not the case in 2026, as he more than held his own in Double-A.

Rojas had a blistering-hot June for the Smokies with seven home runs. Very low swing-and-miss down in Double-A, too, as well as someone who is not pull-side dominant. Projects to be an everyday player at the big-league level.

Analysis

It’s a high price to pay for the Cubs, who’ve overhauled their starting pitching options over the last two months. David Peterson, Braxton Garrett, Kevin Gausman, and now Holmes, join a rotation that now has plenty of options as the Cubs look to lock up a playoff spot and attempt to move past the NLDS in 2026.

As for the Mets, the club was likely not going to retain Holmes after 2026. It’s almost a given that he opts out, and the Mets’ front office is not the kind that likes to give big-money contracts to older pitchers.

So, the Mets do get a high-upside prospect, someone who jumps to the top of the system.

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