Everyone and their mother knows that the Cubs need some starting pitching. It's been a glaring need the Cubs have been staring at for months. If you've been paying attention, you can see that the Cubs transaction history is name after name of pitchers that Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office are forcing onto Craig Counsell.
The latest name to be linked to the Cubs is Clay Holmes. He's a 33 year old right hander for the Mets who has posted a sweet sweet 2.39 ERA in 2026. Homes would make an absolutely stellar addition to a talented roster of injured arms. Holmes would provide Counsell with a lot of breathing room if he came to Chicago, and it may even be worth it just for that, but the real issues here may be too steep.
Clay Holmes could immediately stabilize the Cubs’ rotation
Holmes won't come cheap. There's just no way of looking at it. Holmes is mid-way through a 3 year, $34 million contract. With Justin Steele making an appearance at Wrigley this weekend but still being months away from a return, the Cubs are in need of another ace. Shota Imanaga and Colin Rea have built excellent seasons, but having an arm like Holmes in there would make the team go from good to great. There would be real game one or game two potential from Holmes should he come to play at Wrigley.
Should the team treat him functionally as a rental, his contract doesn't seem so bad. At the end of the day, $12 million in a season isn't a whole lot to pay for an ace on the mound. With all of the rumors involving Skubal or Peralta, Holmes could be an excellent option should the Mets not demand an insane price for him. But by all accounts, the Mets are about to have a flash sale this weekend approaching the deadline.
Holmes may not be the splashiest name available, but he could be exactly what the Cubs need at a much more reasonable price. If Chicago can land him without gutting the farm system, it would be difficult to call the deal anything but a win.
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