The White Sox maintain a one-game lead over the Rangers for first place in the AL Central, and it appears that the Sox will look to build on their success by adding some late relief. So far, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes that he is the Mets starter Clay Holmes is on Chicago’s radar, as White Sox special assistant Nick Hostetler will “look” at Holmes during his minor league stint.
That rehab assignment will still officially go ahead, as Holmes’ scheduled tour with high-A Brooklyn was canceled due to inclement weather. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, many scouts and testers from opposing teams were there to see Holmes pitch, but Holmes instead threw about 45 pitches during a bullpen session that was naturally limited to the Mets staff.
Holmes broke his fibula back on May 15 when the Yankees’ Spencer Jones he punched a line through Holmes’ right leg. The right-hander was able to avoid surgery, and is on track to meet the initial timeline for a return sometime in August, though when Holmes will be ready is a big question mark with the Mets’ trade deadline plans. Saturday’s canceled game adds another delay to the job, and reduces the possibility of Holmes working out of the IL 60 days before the Aug. 3 deadline.
This won’t preclude a trade, of course, as teams may feel good about taking the injured Holmes if they like what he sees out of his rehab. DiComo gave the example of last summer’s trade that he posted Shane Bieber from the Guardian to the Blue Jays, as Cleveland managed to land a notable prospect (Sir Stephen) even though Bieber hasn’t been around since April 2024 due to Tommy John surgery.
So the Mets should be able to get some kind of interesting trade return, if they choose to move Holmes at all. The righty is in the second season of his three-year, $38MM contract, but is expected to opt out of the final year of that contract and test free agency despite spending more than two months in IL. This makes Holmes a rental player, which will limit what other teams will offer New York in trade talks. However, Holmes said he loves playing in Queens and is interested in discussing an extension, so the Mets are expected to explore that possibility while also making trade offers.
Eyebrows were raised when the Mets signed Holmes with a plan to convert him to a starting pitcher, but the experiment ended up being successful. Holmes posted a 3.53 ERA over 165 2/3 innings in 2025 and a 2.39 ERA in his first 52 2/3 innings of 2026 before Jones’ eventual return. Holmes’ strikeout numbers dropped significantly as a starter, but he continued to keep the ball down (a career-low 55.8% in 2025-26) and allowed just 17 home runs during his time in New York.
A healthy Holmes would improve any opponent’s rotation, including the starting White Sox. Davis Martin again Sean Burke both pitched well at the front of the rotation, while the results were more mixed Anthony Kay, Erick Feddeand the rookie Noah Schultz. The Sox are short on experience and depth when it comes to their starting options, so the rotation and bullpen have been Chicago’s top targets as the deadline approaches.
Chicago GM Chris Getz said in early June that the team’s focus was still on the big picture in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but “We know where we stand, both in the division and the Wild Card, and we are monitoring it….if there are opportunities to add to this team, we will do so..” Since the Sox have continued to win since Getz made those statements six weeks ago, it appears the front office will be looking to make some improvements, even if the deadline splurge doesn’t happen.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that the White Sox are “willing to be aggressive with club-controlled players, but not willing to overpay for leases, according to a person briefed on their plans.” Holmes doesn’t fit this model well given the possibility of him triggering his opt-out clause, which would limit Chicago’s ability or desire to meet the Mets’ asking price. With so many teams involved and the continued uncertainty about his health status, other pitchers may be more likely to be trade targets for Chicago than Holmes, but that shouldn’t stop the Sox from doing their due diligence.
