As the Trade Deadline clock ticks down, Clay Holmes has become one of the names drawing real attention, and the Milwaukee Brewers are right in the mix. Joel Sherman and Mark Feinsand report that interest in Holmes is still strong, with the Brewers listed among the teams showing the most interest. The Mets, meanwhile, are expected to work out a deal for him by today’s 6 PM ET deadline.
Holmes gave New York plenty to like before his season was derailed. Through nine starts, he posted a 2.39 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, numbers that put him among the Mets’ best arms in the rotation early on. But everything changed when a comebacker fractured his fibula during his start against the Yankees, knocking him onto the 60-day IL.
Instead of taking the ball for the major-league start he was scheduled to make on Sunday, Holmes was sent to Brooklyn for another rehab outing. His status has only added to the sense that a move could be coming.
The contract situation also points toward a possible split. Holmes has a player option for next year that he is expected to decline, even though he has said he’d be open to an extension in New York. So far, though, nothing meaningful has come together on that front, and he has been mentioned as a trade possibility for weeks.
For Milwaukee, the fit is obvious. The Brewers need help in the rotation with Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester both out for the season, and Holmes has emerged as a logical target as the deadline nears.
In Other News...
Mets Just Sent A Bigger Trade Deadline Message Than Fans Expected
The Mets kept their deadline week movement going by dealing a controllable arm out of the bullpen and bringing back a pair of minor-league pitchers with limited big league experience. It is the kind of swap that says as much about roster planning as it does about immediate help, especially with the club still sorting through how aggressive it wants to be before the deadline.
For a team trying to balance present needs with long-term flexibility, moving on from a reliever who had multiple seasons left on his deal is a notable signal. Chicago gets a major league piece, while New York adds Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin to the pipeline, and the larger question now is how many more moves are coming as the Mets keep reshaping the roster around the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Just Paid A Real Prospect Price For An October Push
The Cubs made a real prospect-level commitment to sharpen their roster for October, landing right-hander Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the Mets in a move aimed at immediate help. Holmes is working back from the injured list and should add another arm to the mix soon, while Taylor brings veteran depth to the outfield as Chicago tries to tighten things up for a postseason push.
For the Mets, the return is the kind that says a deal has value beyond the present tense, since the package includes top infield prospect Jefferson Rojas. It is a reminder that deadline-style moves often come with a cost on the other side, and New York now gets to sort out how that young talent fits into its bigger picture while Chicago focuses on what Holmes and Taylor can provide right away. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Catching Move Could Signal Something Bigger
Catching depth was always going to matter for the Dodgers down the stretch, and they turned to a familiar name by bringing back Ben Rortvedt in a deadline move with the Mets. Los Angeles has been navigating injuries behind the plate with Will Smith and Dalton Rushing, so Rortvedt gives them a reliable option for the rest of the season and a player who already knows what life looks like in that clubhouse.
For the Mets, the move brings pitcher Chayce McDermott into the organization and clears a path to keep reshaping the roster around needs that go beyond one position. Rortvedts return to Los Angeles is notable because of what he meant there before, and it is also the kind of deal that can hint at bigger conversations still unfolding as the deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]