Overview
- The Cubs and Mets completed the trade on Monday, sending 21-year-old infield prospect Jefferson Rojas to New York for right-hander Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor.
- Rojas was the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect and ranked No. 63 overall by MLB, hitting .270 with 15 homers and an .800 OPS at Double-A Knoxville this season.
- Holmes fractured his right fibula on May 15 and has been on minor-league rehab, making recent starts that left him reported as close to a return to the big-league rotation.
- Holmes posted a 2.39 ERA in nine 2026 starts before the injury and carries a reported $12 million 2027 player option that he is expected to decline, which limits long-term control for Chicago.
- The Holmes/Taylor deal capped a busy deadline for the Cubs that also added Kevin Gausman, Braxton Garrett and Ryan Zeferjahn as Chicago pushed for rotation depth to support a run at the NL Central and a top wild-card spot while the Mets replenish their farm system.