Clay Holmes was a key pickup by the Chicago Cubs ahead of this summer’s MLB trade deadline.
He may not be pitching for the Cubs next season, though — a reality they knew well when they dealt for him but one that will still be important toward the plans Chicago puts together for the offseason ahead.
Holmes has an opt-out in his deal, and as long as he stays healthy down the stretch of this season, it would be logical for him to use it.
Cubs Expected To Lose Clay Holmes
Holmes’ player option in his contract would pay him $12 million for the 2027 campaign.
Given how he’s pitching, that would be an absolute bargain, which is why it doesn’t make sense for Holmes to opt-in to that option year.
“At $12 million, this is an easy one,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote in a new article on Thursday. “Even after the shelling Miami put on him in his last start, Holmes is in line to get a strong multiyear contract in free agency.”
And just to be clear, Passan specifically writes that “yes,” Holmes will decline his player option.
Holmes going into free agency wouldn’t automatically mean a split with the Cubs. They could still look to sign him back.
It just wouldn’t necessarily be cheap. It’s not a great class of free agent pitchers, and if Holmes pitches well down the stretch and into October, he’ll have some solid value.
Part of the reason the Cubs were able to snag him from the New York Mets in the first place is that his contract was up at the end of the year, aside from that underpriced option, so the Mets had no reason to keep Holmes as they toiled toward the finish line.
Soon, the Cubs will have to decide how much they want to try and bring the right-hander back to Wrigley Field.
Kevin Gausman Complication
In addition to Holmes from the Mets, the Cubs got Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline.
Gausman was available because his contract is up at the end of the year, too, and he doesn’t even have any kind of option built in. He will be a free agent.
“The most-valuable pitcher this decade? Zack Wheeler,” Passan writes. “No. 2? Gausman. He’ll be 36 in January, so while Gausman won’t be getting too long a deal, he’ll have plenty of suitors.”
The Cubs probably can’t bring back both Holmes and Gausman, and they don’t necessarily need to — they just need their other pitchers to stay healthier next offseason.
But there’d be some logic in the Cubs trying to retain one of these guys. Their decision on which one they really want back could shape the pitching free agent market considerably.
Cubs Expected To Lose $12 Million Pitcher