The Chicago Cubs look ready to buy at the trade deadline, and the New York Mets may have just handed Jed Hoyer the kind of opening he needed.
Chicago entered the weekend 12 games over .500 and sitting atop the National League Wild Card, so the expectation is that the Cubs will be active. Hoyer has usually preferred not to rush into the market, but the Mets’ shifting stance could push things along.
New York had not been willing to label itself a seller when it traded David Peterson to the Cubs last month. That has changed. Multiple MLB insiders have reported that the Mets are prepared to move pieces at the deadline and are open to dealing just about anyone on the roster not named Juan Soto, along with some of their younger, controllable players.
SNY’s Chelsea Jane reported that relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter are likely to be moved, while starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes are expected to draw significant interest.
A Cubs-Mets deal feels like a real possibility again, and the two clubs have done business plenty of times before. Even after the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade in 2021, they’ve remained frequent trade partners.
The difference now is the optics. The Mets will want to avoid another deal that leaves them looking like the team that got burned.
Early chatter has pointed the Cubs toward Peralta, and the Mets may be setting a high price in talks. One report said Chicago has shown interest in both Peralta and Luke Weaver, while the Mets are said to be asking for Hartshorn. The Cubs, according to that report, are not willing to move Hartshorn in that kind of deal.
That stance makes sense if the target is a rental. Hartshorn appears to be off limits, while Weaver is under contract through the 2027 season.
Holmes is another name that fits Chicago’s needs. He has already had success after being converted into a starting pitcher when he signed with the Mets last season, but he’s also coming back from injury.
Holmes suffered a fractured fibula earlier this year and is close to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment. He also has a player option for the 2027 season, though if he gets healthy and pitches well, the expectation is that he would choose free agency after this year.
With the Mets offering so many possible trade chips and the Cubs needing pitching help, it’s difficult to see these teams not lining up on another deal before August 3. The Peterson talks stretched for six weeks, so the front offices already know each other well.
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