MLB Trade Rumors: Chicago White Sox Reportedly Scouting Mets’ SP
· Yahoo Sports
The Chicago White Sox have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season, entering late July with a 52-46 record that puts them atop the American League Central. With the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3 approaching, Chicago will be buyers, and it appears they are laying the groundwork for the pursuit of a specific veteran starting pitcher.
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MLB reporter Bob Nightengale wrote this weekend for USA Today that the White Sox sent special assistant Nick Hostetler to “keep taps on” New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes as he begins his rehab assignment.
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Entering play on July 20, the Mets sat 16 games below .500 with the second-worst record in the National League. The club is realistically out of playoff contention, prompting president of baseball operations David Stearns to begin shopping several veterans around the league.
- Clay Holmes stats (2026): 2.39 ERA, 1.1 WHIP, 6.8 H/9 with 45-18 K-BB
Holmes, 33, got off to a great start this season with New York. Across his first nine starts, covering 52.2 innings, he limited opponents to a .204 batting average with a 20.9 percent strikeout rate. Unfortunately, the 6-foot-5 righty suffered a fractured fibula on May 15 that has kept him sidelined ever since.
New York doesn’t necessarily have to move him, as he is owed less than half the remainder of his $13 million salary for the remainder of the season and there is a $12 million option for 2027. However, given how well he’s performed this year, Holmes would likely decline the player option to become a free agent, thus making him the equivalent of a half-season rental.
It’s worth noting that Holmes hasn’t actually begun a rehab assignment to this point. Anthony DiComo previously reported that the veteran threw a 45-pitch batting practice session on Saturday, a change of plans with weather scrapping the planned outing for High-A Brooklyn.
If the White Sox were to acquire Holmes, he could step in as a front-line starter for the club after making multiple rehab outings. Considering that Chicago ranks 25th in quality starts (25) this season, he would also figure to be a key part of their playoff rotation come October.