Clay Holmes’ Pitching Style Fits Cubs Perfectly

[Cory Sparks]

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs made arguably their largest splash a few hours before the deadline, acquiring right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes in a package deal that also included outfielder Tyrone Taylor. It’s no secret that Chicago’s pitching staff (especially the rotation) has been decimated with injuries, but Holmes’ pitching was quite literally made for this team. Let’s break down who Holmes is and why this acquisition fits like a glove.

Clay Holmes' Updated Cubs Scouting Report

Clay Holmes is a 33-year-old right-handed pitcher and entered the deadline as one of the most sought-after rental arms in baseball. He was originally a ninth-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him right out of high school. Holmes is in his ninth season, and he’s generated a career record of 40-34 with a 3.53 earned run average while striking out 534 hitters in 555.2 innings pitched.

The Cubs will be his fourth team, as the veteran right-handed pitcher threw for the Pirates and New York Yankees before a brief stint under Carlos Mendoza (and Andy Green) in Queens.

Transitioning Out Of The 'Pen

Many aspiring pitchers who lack command end up going to the bullpen. The thought process is that their stuff will play for a few hitters as a change of tempo, but it’s not strong enough to be sustainable for multiple innings. Holmes actually transitioned in the other direction. He was primarily a bullpen arm from the 2018 season (his debut year) until 2024. 

In Holmes’ final year as a bullpen arm, he was the Yankees’ closer, logging 30 saves across 60 innings of work with a 3.14 ERA. The Mets then added Holmes to their rotation after signing him in free agency, and in his first real big-league opportunity, he immediately impressed. The team’s newest starter went 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA, striking out 129 hitters in 165.2 innings. 

Holmes’ 2026 So Far

This makes 2026 his second season as a starter, and the newest Cub has seemingly picked up right where he left off. The 6-foot-5, 245 pound hurler is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across nine starts. He just logged a High-A rehab start with the Brooklyn Cyclones last week, as the nine-year MLB veteran is coming back from a fractured right fibula injury that he sustained in May. 

Before that injury, Holmes was averaging just a tough below six innings per outing and looked steady yet again as a reliable member of the Mets’ rotation.

Chase ‘Em Out Of Town!

The North Siders' newest starter touts a five-pitch arsenal, leading the way with a 94 mile per hour sinker. Almost everything he throws moves laterally, and the sinker sits right around 18 inches of arm-side carry from a 41-degree release angle. One of his best attributes is the fact he can force mistakes out of the zone. The righty had a 32.9 percent chase rate (75th percentile, per Baseball Savant) before his injury. Holmes is also a master at mitigating solid contact, holding opposing hitters to just a 5.3 percent barrel rate (82nd percentile). 

The Cubs-ian Attribute

What’s his best attribute, though? It’s far and away the fact that Holmes generates a sky-high ground ball rate of 55.3 percent (95th percentile), thanks to that heavy sinker. The Cubs are tied for the best fielding percentage in baseball at .989, and with Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman having five Gold Gloves between them, Holmes will be well protected by the infield behind him. 

There's no infield defense as good as this one, and Holmes will benefit as a result. The Cubs will hope to have other members of their rotation, like Justin Steele and Edward Cabrera, return. Before it’s time to build for 2027, though, this team gets to try out a steady arm who has quickly turned into one of the better starters in the game. He buries the ball in the ground and lets the defense get to work; could you conjure up a better marriage?

View full article