The Cubs and Mets look headed for another deadline conversation, and this one has pitching written all over it.
Clay Holmes made another minor-league rehab start on Tuesday, and the Cubs were apparently watching closely. The sense around the situation is that the Mets will move Holmes before next Monday, and with Chicago in the market for arms, it would be a surprise if the Cubs weren’t part of those talks.
That fits the pattern between these two clubs. They already made a deal this season, with David Peterson going to the Cubs for Cole Mathis, and they’ve been frequent trade partners in recent years. On top of that, New York is still scouting Chicago’s system.
Athlon Sports’ Pat Ragazzo reported that the Mets have had scouts watching the Cubs’ minor-league group in recent weeks, with Double-A Knoxville specifically mentioned.
Heard the Mets have had scouts on the Cubs' minor league system, specifically in Double-A
NYM have pitching that fits the Cubs: Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban https://t.co/Da8JXG2IAU
- Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) July 29, 2026
If the Cubs are shopping for pitching, the Mets have plenty of names that fit. Holmes is the obvious one, but Freddy Peralta stands out too because of his connection to Craig Counsell. Luke Weaver is another possibility, especially since the Cubs had interest in him this past offseason and he would give their bullpen some stability beyond this year.
On the prospect side, Jefferson Rojas is the name that jumps out if the Mets are indeed focusing on the Smokies. He’s one of the top players in the Cubs’ system, but he also looks blocked as he moves closer to the majors. If Chicago wants to land the kind of pitching it needs without giving up Matt Shaw or Pedro Ramirez, Rojas would almost certainly have to be part of the package.
There’s also the matter of pitching prospects already in the system. If the Cubs are going to land a rental arm, they’ll likely need to send pitching back the other way. Brooks Caple is one candidate from the Smokies who could come up in that kind of deal.
Caple has posted a 3.56 ERA in just under 53 innings with the Smokies this season. After using 16 of their draft picks on pitchers, the Cubs’ front office may not be overly attached to moving someone like him. He’s shown enough to get noticed, but there’s also a defined limit to what his big-league ceiling looks like.
In Other News...
Justin Steele Update Suddenly Changes Cubs Bullpen Hopes For October
The Cubs have made it clear where their deadline priorities lie, and it starts with relief help. Chicago is still looking to add high-leverage arms before the trade deadline, but the internal picture is starting to look a little sturdier too, with Daniel Palencia, Hunter Harvey and Hoby Milner all expected back in the bullpen between mid-August and that deadline window.
Shelby Miller has already gotten into game action again and could be back in the mix by seasons end, giving the club another experienced option to consider. The more intriguing development, though, is Justin Steeles progress in his throwing program, a sign that the Cubs may have another meaningful arm available later this year even if it comes in a different role than the one they once envisioned. [Read more 🡒]
Pedro Ramirez Just Put The Cubs In A Brutal Deadline Spot
Pedro Ramirez has quietly turned himself into one of the more useful pieces on the Cubs roster this season, hitting over .300 while bouncing around the diamond and giving the club a level of flexibility it can lean on. That kind of production from a versatile major league player is valuable in any year, but it carries extra weight for a team trying to line up its roster for the stretch run.
The problem is that the same traits making Ramirez so attractive inside the organization are also the ones that could make him appealing to other clubs if Chicago decides it has to use him in a bigger deal. With the deadline approaching and the Cubs looking to firm up their pitching plans, the front office is weighing whether a player who has helped stabilize the lineup can be part of the answer to a much larger need. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Lineup Absence Just Raised The Stakes Of A Troubling Rumor
The Cubs lineup against the Yankees came with a little more intrigue than usual when Carson Kelly and Seiya Suzuki were both missing, a development that immediately fed the kind of trade-deadline chatter that tends to follow a contending club in late July. Kellys absence looks far more routine than dramatic, with the workload of catching and a packed schedule making a day off sensible, but Suzukis name always carries a different kind of weight because of what he means to Chicagos offense and overall roster construction.
Suzuki has been central enough to the Cubs that any rumor touching him naturally gets attention, and that is exactly what happened when reports linked Chicago to Mariners starter Emmerson Hancock. The interest alone is enough to keep the rumor mill spinning, even before any official offer is confirmed, and it leaves the Cubs in the familiar spot of trying to balance present-day lineup decisions with the noise that builds around deadline season. [Read more 🡒]