The Chicago Cubs continued their aggressive push before the trade deadline by agreeing to acquire pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the New York Mets in exchange for highly regarded infield prospect Jefferson Rojas.
The deal is awaiting medical clearance and had not been officially announced as of Monday.
The trade is another move aimed at strengthening a Cubs roster that has been hit hard by pitching injuries.
Chicago is trying to catch the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central while also protecting its position atop the NL Wild Card race.
Earlier Monday, the Cubs added reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire, the son of former slugger Mark McGwire.
Chicago also acquired left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett from the Miami Marlins for infielder Jonathon Long and right-hander Jace Beck, then assigned Garrett to Triple-A Iowa.
Those additions came just one day after the Cubs bolstered their starting rotation by trading for veteran right-hander Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays, continuing an active stretch of deadline moves.
Holmes is expected to return soon after recovering from a broken right leg that has kept him out since the middle of May.
Before the injury, he posted a 4-4 record with a 2.39 ERA across nine starts, making him a valuable addition to Chicago’s rotation once healthy.
