Clay Holmes is about to make his Cubs debut, but Chicago already has a pretty good idea of what kind of impact he can bring.
The newest addition to Jed Hoyer’s pitching staff arrived ahead of this week’s trade deadline, and fans are expected to see him on the mound for the first time this weekend against the Kansas City Royals. That’s the fresh headline. The quieter part of the story is that Holmes had already played a role in one of the Cubs’ most encouraging pitching developments of the season.
That connection runs through Ben Brown.
Back in March, Brown talked about working with Holmes during the offseason to build out a sinker, a pitch that gave him a real third option and changed the shape of his arsenal. For a pitcher who had been functioning more like a two-pitch starter, that extra weapon opened things up in a major way.
“He’s really kind and gracious with his time,” Brown told MLB.com. “I mean, he was helping me out so much -- mentally, physically, and probably even more on the mental side.”
The results backed up the praise. Before a neck issue was re-aggravated and ended his 2024 season mid-summer, Brown looked like a pitcher on the verge of a major breakthrough.
The 26-year-old former Phillies farmhand logged 20 appearances, eight of them starts, and posted a 1.85 ERA, 2.49 FIP and 0.941 WHIP over 68 innings. He was covering a huge need in the rotation and pitching like a potential ace before landing on the injured list.
That’s why Holmes’ arrival matters beyond just his own outings. The Cubs hope Brown can make it back and join him, giving Chicago a real boost in the second half as it pushes toward the postseason. If things break the way Hoyer and the front office are hoping, the Cubs could wind up with more quality arms than they know what to do with - a very different problem than the one they were facing earlier in the year.
For now, though, the spotlight is on Holmes. Chicago is getting its first look at him this weekend, and if he can deliver on the mound the way he already did behind the scenes with Brown, he could become a major piece down the stretch.
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