INSANITY: Cubs Trade Jefferson Rojas to Mets for Starter Clay Holmes, Outfielder Tyrone Taylor

The Chicago Cubs see an opportunity to win now—like, right now, apparently. They've struck again as the MLB trade deadline rushes nearer, trading top infield prospect Jefferson Rojas to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Jon Heyman of the New York Post delivered the news.

Holmes, 33, has a 2.39 ERA this season, but it’s come in just nine starts. He fractured his leg in May and is just now on the cusp of a return to the majors. He throws from a standard three-quarter arm slot, but has a sidearmer’s or submariner’s heavy sinker, which makes him deceptive as well as sheerly nasty. He does it with a unique combination of grip and supination, particularly unexpected based on his arm angle, and because of that ability to supinate, he also throws a plus sweeper and a funky changeup with depth but relative cut. He’s under contract for $13 million this season, so he’s owed about $4 million the rest of the way. He can also earn $12 million in 2027, but if he comes back and pitches well the rest of the way, he’ll almost certainly opt out, which the deal allows him to do.

Taylor, 32, is also an impending free agent. He's a plus-plus athlete and great defender in either outfield corner. Bringing him in should mean more time at designated hitter for Seiya Suzuki, and it could mean less playing time against left-handed pitchers for Ian Happ. Taylor is batting .241/.290/.503 in what is the best season of his career to date; he's playing on a one-year, $3.8-million deal. He reunites with Craig Counsell, for whom he played parts of five seasons after being a second-round pick by the Brewers way back in 2012. For his career, he has fairly neutral platoon splits at the plate, but he has 11 extra-base hits in 77 plate appearances against southpaws in 2026.

Rojas, 21, entered this season as the Cubs' top prospect, but had been surpassed by Josiah Hartshorn (and, depending on whom you ask, others) by the middle of summer. He's played fine for Double-A Knoxville, with a .799 OPS, but he's moved off shortstop and is unlikely ever to go back to that spot. As a third baseman, he'll face some pressure to hit that forces him to hit his 70th-percentile projection in order to be more than an average player.

Swapping out Rojas for Holmes and Taylor sends a clear message: Chicago is all-in for this season. Whether they believe they can catch the Brewers and win the NL Central or merely plan to beat them (and the Dodgers) in the postseason, the front office has taken a big swing at this deadline. Holmes and Taylor each strengthen the team's depth in an important aspect, but they'll both be free agents in three months, no matter what. In trading a top prospect for them, Jed Hoyer is throwing down a gauntlet.

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