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Will the Cubs go all-in? Sox youth surge & Bedard wants Kane back | Chicago Sports Tonight
Fox Sports' Devan Kaney and Sam Panayotovich take you around the biggest storylines in Chicago Sports. Will the Cubs be as aggressive as the 2016 Cubs? Can the Sox young bats lead them down the stretch? And why Connor Bedard wants Patrick Kane to return to Chicago.
The Chicago Cubs have made another trade splash.
With a few hours to go before the MLB Trade Deadline, the Cubs have acquired a starting pitcher that shapes the potential of the 2026 team.
Full Trade Details: Cubs acquire Clay Holmes
Cubs acquire: Starting pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor
Mets acquire: Jefferson Rojas
Big picture view:
A year after the Cubs failed to add the caliber of starting pitching needed to make a run at the World Series, Cubs President Jed Hoyer made two massive moves in two days.
ESPN and others have reported the Cubs have acquired Clay Holmes from the Mets, pending all the proper medical approvals.
The Cubs first acquired Kevin Gausman from Toronto. He brings playoff-caliber pitching to the rotation.
However, the Cubs still needed help in the rotation. Tarik Skubal, Luis Castillo, Freddy Peralta, and Jose Soriano were all traded before the trade deadline on Monday. Holmes was one of the few remaining arms to trade for.
The Cubs made the move they needed.
Now, Hoyer has a starter who can help the Cubs surge in the second half of the 2026 season. Holmes isn't under team control past this year – he has a player option for the 2027 season worth $12 million – but he's worth the move for a team that doesn't have many pitching options on staff after the 2026 season.
By the numbers:
Holmes' record isn't identical to some of the top performers on the market this deadline cycle. However, it stands to believe that his record will improve just because of how talented the Cubs' defense is.
But, the other numbers are there.
So far in 2026, Holmes has a 4-4 record with a 2.39 ERA. The ERA number is what shines bright in this trade.
With the Dansby Swanson-Nico Hoerner-Alex Bregman infield, as well as Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ in the outfield, Holmes will have more support in Chicago than he did with the Mets.
Taylor is batting .241 this season, but has heated up recently with seven home runs in his last 46 plate appearances.
Rojas was a great prospect, however the Cubs' infielder faced a log jam of an infield infront of him with Swanson, Hoerner and Bregman under contract for multiple years beyond 2026.