After the 2022 season, big changes were coming to the New York Mets. It wasn’t by design, but more so as a result of having a large number of free agents. None was bigger than Jacob deGrom.
The Mets had to fill out a rotation in free agency due to the loss of him, Chris Bassitt, and Taijuan Walker. They added Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, and Kodai Senga. One player they had interest in just got cut off by the Chicago Cubs.
In year four of his deal, Jameson Taillon is hitting the waiver wire and most assuredly free agency. The Cubs have DFA’d him with the remainder of his $18 million deal owed. Rather than try to get his season turned around, they’ve cleared the spot likely in hopes of adding someone else, including a current Mets starting pitcher.
Jameson Taillon was an almost-Mets free agent signing whose DFA opens the door for another trade with the Cubs
Taillon told the NY Post in 2023 he thought he was going to sign with the Mets. A New York Yankees player before hitting free agency, he was already very familiar with the Big Apple and everything it has to offer.
With Taillon now out of the picture and David Peterson pitching well outside of one start for them, the Cubs now have more reason to heavily pursue Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes.
Having already helped to turn Peterson’s season around for the best, the Cubs could feel emboldened to do the same with Peralta. Familiar with him plenty from his days with the Milwaukee Brewers, they should know his strengths and weaknesses as well as almost anyone.
As for Holmes, he feels a little more in-demand. The beauty for the Cubs to pursue him is that with his history as a closer, he might help be a solution for them in the postseason in that role if he implodes on the mound as a starter.
Cubs starters have a 4.41 ERA this season, ranking 19th. Their biggest issue is the lack of health with Edward Cabrera’s hamstring injury suffered against the Mets as one of the more notable absences.
