Gauging Early Impressions From Cubs' Biggest Trade Deadline Acquisitions

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The Chicago Cubs entered Major League Baseball's 2026 trade deadline with as clear of needs as just about any organization in the league. Jed Hoyer's previous track record of addressing needs in more of a tepid fashion than an assertive one didn't lend itself to the idea that the organization would properly go about their business.

What transpired, though, was fairly remarkable. Not only did Hoyer and his front office comrades put the Cubs in a position to address their shortcomings, they completely solidified the staff on paper as the team awaits the recovery of various arms suited for various roles. A bench bat was even added for good measure. As a recap, here's where things fell prior to the Aug. 3 deadline for the Cubs:

Acquired RHP Kevin Gausman from Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for prospects Brett Bateman & Ty Southisene
Acquired RHP Clay Holmes & OF Tyrone Taylor from New York Mets in exchange for prospect Jefferson Rojas
Acquired RHP Ryan Zeferjahn from Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Moisés Ballesteros & prospect Mason McGwire
Acquired LHP Braxton Garrett from Miami Marlins in exchange for prospects Jonathon Long & Jace Beck

The moves that the Cubs made were largely about 2026 (Garrett, Zeferjahn, and their respective team control notwithstanding). While Bateman has since made his big-league debut with Toronto and Ballesteros is back at the top level with the Angels, we're not at a point of re-grading the moves based on the performance of those who departed the organization as part of the transactional spree. As such, we're only interested in the early returns from those acquired. Let's take a quick look at those returns.

Kevin Gausman

Despite his status as an impending free agent, Gausman was perhaps the most significant addition the team made ahead of the deadline. He's a veteran with postseason experience capable of working deep into ball games. His first start indicated as much, as he threw seven innings while allowing two earned runs against Kansas City back on August 7. His second start didn't land quite as favorably, as he ran up the strikeout numbers (seven) but only worked 4.2 innings while allowing six earned runs.

Gausman's splitter has absolutely played in each start, which is hardly a surprise given that its his pitch that has generated the most chase (39.2 percent), whiff (39.8 percent), and groundball action (48.9 percent) of anything else in his arsenal. As long as he's deploying the fastball effectively (something that did not happen against Washington last week), he should be able to provide the Cubs with plenty of much-needed efficiency down the stretch atop their rotation.

Clay Holmes

Holmes hadn't pitched since May 15 when the Cubs acquired him, as he was recovering from a broken fibula that was the result of a comebacker off his right leg. His return was imminent, though, and his two starts since arriving in Chicago have been a sort of inverse of that of Gausman. He labored through his first start, throwing four innings, allowing six hits and two walks, and being tagged for four runs in a game the Cubs eventually lost. In start No. 2, however, he was brilliant.

Against St. Louis over the weekend, Holmes worked into the seventh (6.2 innings), allowed just a single hit and one walk, and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard. His sinker was out in full force; he threw it 55 percent of the time and generated groundballs on 61.1 percent of the balls in play allowed. That sinker should allow him to continue to find success down the stretch, as he's a groundball machine on the mound throwing in front of an elite infield defense.

Ryan Zeferjahn

It's a bit more difficult to gauge the early returns on a relief pitcher than it is a starter. Zeferjahn has made six appearances for the Cubs thus far, logging 5.1 innings of work. His ERA sits over eight (8.44) through those initial appearances with a FIP (7.58) that doesn't look much more favorable. However, his strikeout rate is still admirable (25.0 percent) and his walk rate is down a touch (10.7 percent).

It's also noteworthy that each of the appearances that Zeferjahn has made to date have come in a game that the Cubs would go on to win. He's allowed runs in three of those six appearances, but none of those clunky outings have come in a way that was damaging to the Cubs' playoff pursuit. Unlike a starting pitcher that has multiple innings at a time, Zeferjahn hasn't had quite the springboard to gaining his footing quite yet, so even through some bad luck (.400 opposing BABIP), we don't yet have a reason to be worried that their big relief acquisition is a dud.

Tyrone Taylor

Taylor was brought in to, essentially, serve as a fifth outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench. That's the role he's filled thus far. Of his 11 games with the Cubs, he's been a pinch runner once and has pinch hit on three different occasions with only six starts to his name. There hasn't been anything particularly noteworthy on the stat sheet quite yet (47 wRC+), but he's scattered a few hits across his smattering of appearances. He's an especially difficult player to gauge in terms of overall value, but as his sample increases (particularly against left-handed pitching), you'd hope to see the occasional contribution, even if it's not coming with much frequency.

Braxton Garrett

The only deal the Cubs made with a clear eye on the future (Garrett is under team control through 2028), it was a bit of a surprise that the team added him to the big-league roster so soon after his acquisition. However, that was more about giving their pitching staff some coverage than anything, and he has yet to make his Cubs debut. He's also made just one appearance with Iowa, throwing a pair of innings while walking six and allowing an earned run. Unless he's added back into the mix upon the expansion of rosters, it's unlikely we'll see him again before 2027 as the Cubs work to develop him into a starter worthy of next year's rotation.