Bolstered Cubs ready for deep playoff push
· Yahoo Sports
The needs the Cubs had were evident going into Monday’s trade deadline, and the front office was aggressive in addressing the team’s roster gaps. They brought in a haul of pitchers, including Kevin Gausman, a player Jed Hoyer called his “white whale.”
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In all, Hoyer and Co. added four pitchers and outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Gausman and Clay Holmes will solidify the rotation, and reliever Ryan Zeferjahn is expected to provide high-leverage help in the bullpen. And in Taylor’s case, manager Craig Counsell said the outfielder was brought in because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching, which will mean veteran Ian Happ gets fewer at-bats against lefties down the stretch.
“We added some really good players,” Counsell said. “We made the team better, and that’s always a good feeling.”
As they were before the trade deadline, the Cubs were good enough to be winning games at a 91-win pace. Their new additions are about making the Cubs better equipped for making a longer playoff run than they did in 2025.
“We had really clear goals based on how the team has played,” Hoyer said on Monday. “I mean, certainly, the resilience this team has shown has been really special. I think we did the things that we felt like would honor that and reinforced the roster over the next 50 games. The way this season has gone, that was something that was really important with 50 games left.”
The additions of Gausman and Holmes, in particular, should pay dividends both across the next 50 games and in the postseason. Gausman has over 56 innings of playoff experience on his resume, including for the Blue Jays in last fall’s run to the World Series.
And Holmes has pitched in the postseason in three different years, all with the Yankees. When New York reached the World Series in 2024, Holmes made five scoreless appearances against the Dodgers in the Fall Classic. But the feeling of coming up short is a big part of what has stuck with him since.
“I’ve lost the World Series, and there’s that hunger of wanting to be the last team standing,” Holmes said. “And to know that I have a real chance to do it here these last few months is all I could ask for. I feel like I’m in a great spot and just want to give everything I have and do whatever I can for this group because it’s a special group.”
Each of the new pitchers will benefit from taking the mound in front of the Cubs’ defense, the highest-ranked in baseball by a wide margin. Holmes’ former teammate with the Mets, David Peterson, has already shown in his six-start sample size since joining the Cubs via a June 25 trade what difference a few mechanical adjustments and the glovework of the Chicago defense for a pitcher that can make.
“Just look at this team and where they’re at, and for me, this defense,” Holmes said. “It was probably one of the best places I could have come, so I’m super excited to join these guys and this team and getting to fight with them.”
Holmes is coming back from a leg injury and made a rehab start over the weekend before he was traded. Counsell said that Holmes will make his first start for the Cubs over the weekend when the team is in Kansas City.
And though Holmes has bullpen experience, including closing games for the Yankees in years past, Counsell said his intentions are to use Holmes as a starter.
In Gausman’s case, he last pitched for the Blue Jays on Saturday, which would line up his next start for Thursday’s makeup game against Toronto at Wrigley, but Counsell said Gausman won’t make his first Cubs start until the Royals series as well.
Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesPitching was understandably the primary focus of the trade deadline for the Cubs, but the move to get Taylor from the Mets as a part of the deal for Holmes also addresses a weakness. The switch-hitting Happ is hitting just .158 from the right side this season, where the righty Taylor has crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of six doubles, five home runs, and a .301 batting average.
“Ian is still going to play some against lefties, but I think Tyrone gives us somebody that he’s going to get at bats against left-haded pitching for sure, and we’ll take it from there,” Counsell said.
Taylor is also a strong defender in the outfield, and he and Counsell have history with each other. He started his career with the Brewers, where he played from 2019 to 2023. He and Counsell left Milwaukee at the same time, Counsell coming to manage the Cubs and Taylor to New York via trade.
While in Milwaukee, Taylor played in the 2020, 2021, and 2023 postseasons with the Brewers.
“We had some good times together in Milwaukee, man,” Taylor said. “So when he called me yesterday, I was excited to answer the phone and excited to talk to him and definitely ready to get going with him here.”
As things currently stand, the Cubs would have the top wild card spot in the National League and would host the three-game wild card series, like they did in 2025. The division is still technically in reach, but the Brewers remain formidable. And no matter what happens between the two National League Central rivals, there’s no secret that the National League runs through the back-to-back champion Dodgers.
“That’s the team you gotta beat, right? Clearly they’re gonna be the favorites. They’ve won two times in a row,” Hoyer said. “They’ve got the most talent in baseball. I don’t think there’s any question about that. It’s a great challenge for everybody. Going back to back is an incredible accomplishment and I totally respect the fact that they really pushed in to do it three times in a row. What an amazing thing to try to accomplish. It’s our job and everyone else’s job to make that not happen.”