Mets offload Clay Holmes to Cubs for top IF prospect

The New York Mets offloaded both Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor’s contracts ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. Jon Heyman at the post reported the team would move both men to the Chicago Cubs and get back infielder Jefferson Rojas.

Rojas is 21, the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect, and is also considered the No. 63 prospect in baseball on MLB Pipeline. He has 15 home runs at Double-A Knoxville this year and should immediately report to Binghamton for the Mets.

On the Mets’ end, just another trade deadline where shedding salary was the goal. Holmes was in his second year both with the Mets and as a starter. He was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before taking a line drive off the leg in the Subway Series and suffering a hairline fracture. Holmes is now deep into a rehab assignment and could join the Cubs’ big league roster soon.

Taylor is practically a throw-in, a defensive replacement. Anything he provides at the plate is a prize from the Cracker Jack box. Rojas, meanwhile, could debut for the Mets as soon as next season depending on his development. Whether he’s a shortstop or second baseman remains to be seen, but most believe he has 15-20 home run potential once he fills out.

What the Cubs do with Holmes is anybody’s guess. Do they stick him in the rotation behind newly acquired Kevin Gausman? Or do they make him a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen? Remember, Holmes was an All-Star closer with the Yankees before joining the Mets.

Two things are certain. First, the Cubs are determined to make a playoff run and haven’t ruled out taking the NL Central. They trail the first-place Brewers by six-and-a-half games.

Moreover, though, the Mets’ 2026 season continues its long, slow March to the offseason. World Series contention is nowhere in sight, not this year and likely the next too.

Oh, well. At least there’s Juan Soto, right?