Cubs Gear Up for World Series Push With Strong Trade Deadline
After addressing all of their major needs at the trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs look poised to make a deep postseason run.
The Chicago Cubs were already one of the National League’s top teams entering the trade deadline. Their offense has been among the best in baseball, but injuries had left the pitching staff scrambling to stay afloat.
That made adding multiple arms the front office’s top priority, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer delivered. Chicago acquired Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett, and Ryan Zeferjahn, upgrading both the rotation and bullpen, while also adding outfielder Tyrone Taylor in the Holmes deal.
Gausman immediately strengthens the front of the rotation, while Holmes is expected to join the staff upon his return from the injured list. Garrett provides some depth but is controllable and a potential big piece down the road. Zeferjahn gives the bullpen a power arm capable of missing bats in high-leverage situations.
Taylor adds a right-handed bat who can contribute against left-handed pitching while playing solid defense.
The Cubs got better at the deadline. Plain and simple. Rather than relying on injured arms to return and produce, they were aggressive, raising both their ceiling and floor. They have now placed themselves in a much stronger position to compete for a National League pennant this October.
Breaking Down Each Cubs Acquisition
Kevin Gausman
The Cubs got off to a hot start Saturday night, trading for Kevin Gausman. Gausman is in the final year of his contract, so he’s a rental, but still an extremely important addition to the rotation.
He is having a down year on the surface. Through 23 starts and 127.1 innings pitched, he has a 4.38 earned run average. Not exactly a guy you’d expect to come in and make a huge impact. However, the underlying numbers are encouraging, and he may be due for some better luck over the next couple of months.
Starting with his FIP, which stands at 3.51, good for 25th in baseball among qualified arms. He also has a 3.95 xERA, 3.82 xFIP, and 3.85 SIERA, all aligning with the claim that he has performed better than the numbers have shown.
This is likely due to the fact that he has succeeded in most areas. First, he has induced a 34.4% chase rate that ranks in the 87th percentile. He has also been above average in generating both swing-and-miss as well as strikeouts. Pair that with a 6.7% walk rate, and you have a solid pitcher.
Gausman has also limited hard contact at about an average rate. There haven’t been any big vulnerabilities in that department, with him also near league average in barrel rate and better in home runs per nine innings.
With his track record and positive regression indicators, the Cubs are betting that he will produce well for them. He’s been a key part of teams that made deep playoff runs. Just last season, he had a 2.93 ERA over 30.2 postseason innings, helping lead the Blue Jays to a World Series appearance.
This could end up being a fantastic addition to the starting group. While Gausman gave the Cubs a proven veteran for the front of the rotation, they weren’t done adding starting pitching.
Clay Holmes
There may not have been a better fit for the Cubs’ rotation profile-wise than Clay Holmes. Obviously, he is a good pitcher, with a 3.26 ERA over the last two seasons since being moved into a starting role. But his ability to induce groundballs makes him an ideal addition, as the Cubs have fielded the best defensive infield in baseball this year.
Since the start of 2025, only four pitchers with at least 200 innings pitched have generated groundballs at a higher rate than Holmes. Putting that in front of Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, and Michael Busch is a match made in heaven.
The only hold-up with Holmes is the fact that he hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 15. He fractured his tibia after being hit with a 111 mph comebacker. The good news is that he has made three rehab outings over the last two weeks and is expected to make his Cubs debut this weekend against the Royals.
Holmes has a fair amount of playoff experience, though it all came before his transition to starting. Still, postseason pressure is real, and he has thrived under it, with a 1.35 ERA and 26.3% strikeout rate in his playoff career.
With him and Gausman slotting into the rotation alongside Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and David Peterson, the Cubs suddenly have a strong group of experienced starters.
Ryan Zeferjahn
The Cubs’ lone bullpen addition at the deadline was an interesting one. Ryan Zeferjahn is in the middle of a breakout season that began with the Angels. He features filthy stuff and is controllable through the 2030 season, but has some command issues.
Beginning with the stuff, he has one of the best fastballs in baseball. He averages 97.4 mph on the offering, gets excellent cut-ride action (which the Cubs love internally) and opponents are batting .087 with a .109 slugging percentage against it.
The pitch he uses most frequently is his sweeper, which gets 14.8 inches of horizontal break and has opponents whiffing at a 40.4% clip. He will also mix in a sinker, curveball, and slider.
The ability to miss bats and rack up strikeouts is a trait that the Cubs have lacked in the bullpen this season. As previously mentioned, the command can be iffy. He has a 13.9% walk rate this season, though that mark is down to 6.3% since June 23.
In total, he has a 3.66 ERA on the year, seeing plenty of leverage innings for the Angels. He will likely play a huge role in the back end of the bullpen down the stretch, and the Cubs will need him to continue to perform like he has.
Braxton Garrett
The trade to acquire Braxton Garrett was a bit of a head-scratcher at first. He missed all of 2025 after having Tommy John surgery and threw just 4.1 innings with the Marlins’ big league club this season.
There has been a good amount of success at Triple-A this season. A 2.90 ERA with 83 strikeouts over 77.2 innings pitched. His fastball is working in the low 90s, but he has used his breaking pitches and solid changeup to generate plenty of swing and miss.
The Cubs have assigned him to their Triple-A club for now, and while it remains possible we see him in the bigs this year, they saw this move as one for the future. Here’s what Jed Hoyer had to say about the trade:
He’s a guy we’ve always liked. He’s having a really good year in Triple-A for the Marlins, and we control him going forward. We’re going to need depth, we’re going to need innings, he’s likely to provide that here.
Both Hoyer and Cubs manager Craig Counsell mentioned the interest they’ve had in him since his 2023 season when he posted a 3.66 ERA over 159.2 innings. So for now, this is a depth move, but it seems there is internal optimism about what he may provide in the future.
Tyrone Taylor
Amidst all of the pitching the Cubs were after, their need for a right-handed bat flew under the radar. They satisfied this need with Tyrone Taylor from the Mets.
Taylor will not be an everyday guy but will likely get a good number of at-bats against left-handed pitching. Against southpaws this season, he is slashing .301/.311/.589 with five home runs and a wRC+ of 145.
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ has really struggled against lefties this season, batting .158 with a 48 wRC+. As of now, it doesn’t seem like it will be a full-time platoon in left field between the two. Still, Taylor is a nice option to have with Happ’s elongated struggles against left-handers.
Another part of Taylor’s game is solid defense. In 169.1 innings in left field this season, he has a +3 fielding run value and +3 defensive runs saved. He is an elite sprint speed guy, ranking in the 91st percentile with 29.0 feet per second.
Given all of this, he should be a reliable bench bat or even a late-game baserunner for the Cubs.
A Roster Built for October
The Chicago Cubs addressed the biggest question surrounding their roster at the trade deadline: pitching. By adding Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Braxton Garrett, they not only improved their current staff but also gave themselves valuable depth as they head into their final 50 games and the postseason. Combined with an elite position player group, the Cubs now have one of the National League’s most complete rosters.
Still, that does not guarantee October success. The National League remains loaded with legit contenders, meaning Chicago will likely have to navigate a difficult postseason path. However, the deadline significantly improved their chances just by reducing their reliance on injured pitchers returning.
The Cubs currently have the top Wild Card spot in the NL, and FanGraphs has their odds to reach the postseason at 95.7%. As of now, it does not appear that they will give up that top spot, but instead could make a run at the division title.
They are 5.5 games behind the Brewers right now and still have seven games remaining against Milwaukee. Even with their new and improved roster, this remains a tall task. All Pat Murphy’s group has done over the last two seasons is win. However, if there was ever a Cubs team to make that comeback, it’s this one.
Wherever they end up in the final standings, they are going to be a competitive group. Craig Counsell has the pieces to win playoff games and even potentially send top contenders home for the year.
The Cubs may not have had the flashiest deadline, but they addressed their biggest weakness while retaining most of their top prospects. If their offense continues to perform and the pitching additions deliver as expected, Chicago has positioned itself as one of the most complete teams in baseball and one that will be dangerous come playoff time.
Become a Member of Just Baseball
Subscribe and upgrade to go ad-free!
* Save 25% by subscribing annually.
Written by
Carson Wolf is an intern at Just Baseball covering the Chicago Cubs and is the creator of The Wrigley Wire on X. He is currently studying…