The reconstruction of the Chicago Cubs rotation continues. After making other trades that got them David Peterson, Kevin Gausman, and Reid Detmers, they made one more to finish things off. The Cubs acquired Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor from the New York Mets in exchange for Jefferson Rojas. It is the second time this season these two teams have come together on a trade. But why did they decide to get back together and make another deal?
Making Sense of the Clay Holmes-Tyrone Taylor Trade
The Cubs Perspective
There was one goal for the Cubs at this year’s deadline, and that was to make the starting rotation better. They definitely achieved that by bringing in four new starters. Holmes should slot into the middle of this new rotation. While he’s missed the past couple of months with a fractured fibula, he was in the middle of a dominant season. In 52 2/3 innings, he has a 2.39 ERA with 45 strikeouts to 18 walks, a 1.101 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 174. A solid performance despite only being a starter for a season and a half.
While they did not have a position player like they needed a starter, Taylor will be a nice guy to have on their bench. In 67 games this season, he has slashed .241/.290/.503 with 10 home runs, 28 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 116. He has crushed left-handed pitching and has been on a tear over the last 15 games. He’s also been a great defender throughout his career, registering an OAA in the 84th percentile last season. He also has terrific speed with a sprint speed in the 91st percentile.
The Mets Perspective
The Mets were one of the busiest teams during the trade deadline. They ended up trading eight players from their roster and brought back 13 minor league players. That is what you call a firesale. But without question, the best move they made was this one. In all their other deals, they focused on getting quantity over quality. They tried to bring in as many prospects who excelled at one area and hope they can develop them. It is now on the Mets to turn these
But this was the one trade where they brought back a player ranked in the MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect. Rojas is the 63rd overall prospect and is now the top prospect in the Mets system. Although his numbers have dropped off in Double-A, this could be due to the fact that he plays in one of the toughest ballparks at that level. He’s been hitting more line drives this season and could develop more power as he develops. If he has a strong end to the season, he could be fighting for the starting third base job in 2027.
