Cubs Bolster Rotation, Adding Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes at the 2026 Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs used the final hours of the 2026 trade deadline to reinforce a pitching staff that had kept them in contention despite a season full of rotation injuries, landing veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman from Toronto and right-hander Clay Holmes from the New York Mets.

Chicago acquired Gausman from the Blue Jays for infielder Ty Southisene and outfielder Brett Bateman. In a separate deal completed before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline, the Cubs acquired Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the Mets for Jefferson Rojas, a highly touted infield prospect at Double-A. MLB.com’s Cubs coverage said the Gausman trade was completed late Sunday night.

For the Cubs, the deadline was less about a splashy overhaul than backing a staff that had absorbed major losses and still performed. “This year, we had very clear goals just based on how the team has played,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Certainly, the resilience this team has shown, I think, has been really special. I think we did things we felt like would honor that.”

That need was clear. Left-hander Justin Steele was on the injured list, rookie Cade Horton underwent season-ending elbow surgery in April, and Jameson Taillon was unavailable before later being traded to Toronto. Even so, MLB.com said the Cubs’ rotation was tied for third in the majors with a 3.47 ERA in July, a sign that Chicago had stayed afloat even as its depth was tested.

Gausman gives the Cubs a proven starter with postseason experience and a track record of handling meaningful games. MLB.com listed him with a 4.38 ERA this season. Manager Craig Counsell said the club would discuss his schedule with him, with an early debut possible, including in a Thursday makeup-game scenario. Counsell described the 35-year-old as a stabilizing presence for a staff that has had to improvise.

“It’s a very dependable, battle-tested guy. Nothing is really going to surprise him, shock him, scare him,” Counsell said of Gausman. “He’s pitched in huge moments.”

Holmes offers a different kind of upside. Before suffering a fractured right fibula on May 15, he had a 2.39 ERA in nine starts for the Mets, according to MLB.com. At the time of the trade he was on the 60-day injured list, but he had already begun a rehab assignment and threw 73 pitches over 5 1/3 innings in a High-A outing on the Sunday before the deadline. The Cubs said they would determine how and when to activate Holmes after meeting with him.

If healthy, Holmes also fits the Cubs’ run-prevention profile. MLB.com noted that Chicago leads the majors in fielding run value at 56, and Holmes has been described as a ground-ball, low-home-run pitcher — the kind of arm that can benefit from strong defense behind him.

The Cubs also added more pitching depth in smaller moves, acquiring reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Braxton Garrett from the Miami Marlins. Garrett was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

Taken together, the moves reflected a team trying to protect what had already worked. The Cubs did not need to reinvent themselves at the deadline; they needed to support a rotation that had weathered injuries and still produced. Counsell said the front office’s approach sent a message to a clubhouse that had earned reinforcement.

“There’s some belief that’s shown in the group here … And I think that fires everybody up, for sure.”