The Chicago Cubs just made a move that could ripple straight back to the New York Mets.
Jameson Taillon has been DFA’d, with the Cubs eating the rest of his $18 million deal. That kind of decision doesn’t happen unless a team is ready to pivot, and Chicago appears to be clearing space with an eye on what comes next. One of the names in that mix could be a current Mets starter.
Taillon is now on the waiver wire and, for all practical purposes, headed to free agency. He’s in the fourth year of his contract, and the Cubs decided not to wait around for a turnaround. Instead, they opened a roster spot and moved on from a pitcher the Mets once had real interest in.
That interest was no secret. Taillon told the NY Post in 2023 that he thought he was going to sign with the Mets. After pitching for the New York Yankees, he already knew the city well, which only added to the sense that a deal could happen.
Now that Taillon is out of the picture, Chicago has even more reason to chase pitching help - and that brings Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes into the conversation.
The Cubs already helped get David Peterson back on track, outside of one start, and that kind of success could make them more aggressive on Peralta. They know him well from his Milwaukee Brewers days, so there’s plenty of familiarity there.
Holmes is a different kind of target, and maybe the more intriguing one. The Cubs could view him as a starter now and still have the option to use his closer background in October if things go sideways on the mound. That flexibility makes him especially appealing.
Chicago’s rotation has posted a 4.41 ERA this season, which ranks 19th, and the staff has also been hit by injuries. Edward Cabrera’s hamstring injury against the Mets is one of the more notable absences.
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