Former Cubs Starter Could Return To Old Team

The Chicago Cubs are set to lose multiple free agents this offseason. 

Some would be bigger losses than others. 

Seiya Suzuki, Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, and Carson Kelly would be much bigger losses than Michael Conforto, Tyrone Taylor, Shota Imanaga, and Matthew Boyd. The Cubs can’t afford to lose all four of Suzuki, Holmes, Gausman, and Kelly this offseason. 

Suzuki has been the Cubs’ go-to power hitter in each of the past two seasons. Gausman and Holmes showed some nice things in the second half after the front office traded for them, and Kelly has been a reliable catcher for this Cubs team since arriving before the 2025 season. 

While Holmes isn’t technically a free agent yet, the expectation around the league is that he will be once he declines his player option. The veteran right-hander has a $12 million player option set for next season that he will almost certainly decline. 

That will put Holmes on the open market to sign with any team. That obviously reduces the Cubs' chances of re-signing the former All-Star pitcher, as he will likely have a strong market this winter. 

And it looks like a return to New York isn’t totally out of the equation either. SNY Mets insider Chelsea Janes recently reported that Holmes could sign with the Mets this offseason. 

“As of this week, he is expected to opt out of his current deal, and people familiar with his thinking say he is open to a return to the Mets if the right deal is offered,” she wrote. “He did, after all, thrive in Queens as a starter - so much so that he will likely receive a far bigger contract as a free agent than he probably would have if the Mets had not given him the chance to jump out of the bullpen."

It’s not much of a surprise that Holmes would consider a return to New York. However, the Cubs can’t afford to lose someone like him in free agency. He’s exactly the type of pitcher that Chicago needs back. 

Holmes had some really strong performances with the Cubs down the stretch. He threw 6 ⅔ shutout innings with three strikeouts against the Cardinals on August 14, delivered seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts against the Diamondbacks on August 25, and threw six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Brewers on August 31. 

Although there were some rougher outings as well, Holmes and the Cubs are a match made in heaven.

Holmes is an extreme groundball pitcher who ranked in the 99th percentile in groundball rate this past season. The Cubs have an elite defensive infield that features Gold Glove finalist Alex Bregman, Gold Glove finalist Dansby Swanson, former Gold Glove winner Nico Hoerner, and above-average defender Michael Busch.