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The Mets have traded one of their top starters, Clay Holmes, and sent outfielder Tyrone Taylor with him. The pair are headed to the Cubs, per the New York Post. Infielder Jefferson Rojas, the No. 2 prospect in the Cubs’ system, is going back to New York per ESPN.
Holmes has a 2.39 ERA across nine starts, and is currently in the minors rehabbing from a fractured fibula sustained on a comebacker in mid-May. His strikeouts were up (7.7 from 7.1) and both walks and hits were down in the 52 ⅔ innings he did throw prior to that injury, however.
Multiple reports leading up to the trade deadline indicated that there was no discussion of an extension of Holmes, who has a $12 million player option for 2027. That made it seem all but guaranteed that the 6-foot-5 right-hander would be dealt by the deadline, especially given that his success as a starter has made it likely that he turns down the player option and becomes a free agent before the 2027 campaign.
Holmes was a full-time reliever from 2019 through 2024, with the Pirates and Yankees. The Mets signed him as a free agent before the 2025 season, and converted him to the rotation. In 2025, Holmes made 31 starts in 33 appearances, throwing 165 ⅔ innings with a 3.53 ERA. His 2026 began with even more success, until the broken fibula interrupted his season.
Holmes has not yet returned to the majors, but has thrown 6 ⅓ innings of minor-league rehab, so coming back to the Mets was imminent. However, he will now pitch for the Cubs in a rotation that also added Kevin Gausman before the trade deadline.
Taylor has played in 67 games for the Mets in 2026. The eight-year veteran joined New York for the 2024 season after beginning his big-league career with the Brewers, and is hitting .241/.290/.503 this season with 10 home runs and 18 extra-base hits in 159 plate appearances and a .900 OPS against lefties.
Rojas ranked second among Chicago’s prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, and is considered both a third baseman and a shortstop. The 21-year-old was ranked as a top-100 prospect by MLB prior to the 2026 season, and has spent the summer at Double-A batting .270/.339/.461.
