Trade Rumors: New York Mets Scouts Checking Out Chicago Cubs Double-A Team

The New York Mets are one of the few teams in MLB that are clearly sellers at this year’s MLB trade deadline, and despite their disaster of a season, they have plenty of intriguing pitching targets that the Chicago Cubs would love to acquire. As Monday’s deadline approaches, the Mets have reportedly been tracking the Cubs’ minor league system, with New York’s scouts focusing on the Knoxville Smokies, Chicago’s Double-A team.

Whether it’s for a starting pitcher, a left-handed reliever, a high-leverage arm, or a mix of the three, the Mets have plenty of choices for the Cubs at the trade deadline. But as always, the big question is whether a team believes the risk of losing young talent is worth it for a rental.

The Cubs’ Double-A team features 21-year-old shortstop Jefferson Rojas, who is either the organization’s No. 1 or No. 2 ranked prospect depending on the list you see. However, you wouldn’t think that the Cubs would trade one of their best minor leaguers and a consensus top-100 prospect for a rental, but it’s not like Rojas is off limits either.

There is a scenario in which the Cubs may be willing to part with the infielder for rotation and bullpen help, as Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver would be excellent additions to a pitching staff that has endured so many injuries in 2026. Holmes has a $12 million player option for 2027, while Weaver is owed $12.5 million next year as part of his two-year, $22 million deal that he agreed to with the Mets this past offseason.

Holmes had made two rehab starts after missing two months because of a fractured fibula, which he suffered in May when he was hit on the right leg with a comebacker on the mound. Before the injury, Holmes recorded a 2.39 ERA in nine starts, and his career 62% ground ball rate would be an ideal match with the Cubs’ defense. In 2025, Holmes was a full-time starter for the first time in his MLB career, and he shined in the Mets’ rotation, posting a 3.53 ERA in 165.2 innings.

As for Weaver, the right-hander has been an elite reliever this year, recording a 1.93 ERA with a 26.4 K% in 42 innings. He would certainly bring some much-needed stability at the back-end of the Cubs’ bullpen that has already seen 12 different pitchers record a save in 2026.

Meanwhile, the relatively unknown Huascar Brazobán could also bring up the price in a trade with the Cubs, as the 36-year-old reliever is still under team control through 2030. The hard-throwing righty has a 2.66 ERA in 50.2 innings so far in 2026 and will enter his first year of arbitration next year. Brazobán, who didn’t make his MLB debut until 2022, in his age-32 season, has a career 3.52 ERA over 256 innings with the Miami Marlins and Mets.

Freddy Peralta has been a popular name in trade speculation for months, but in recent days, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said a trade seems unlikely for the Cubs to reunite the former Milwaukee Brewers All-Star with manager Craig Counsell.

But Rojas isn’t the only Cubs prospect the Mets would be taking a closer look at, as 2024 ninth-round pick Brooks Caple presents a compelling case to be used in a trade as well. The right-handed starting pitcher is ranked No. 8 in the Cubs’ system according to MLB Pipeline. He’s made 15 starts this year and has a 3.26 ERA in 77.1 innings.

Caple’s Double-A teammate and fellow 23-year-old, Luis Martinez-Gomez, recently had a 12-strikeout game in six innings for the Smokies and could be another under-the-radar trade asset for the Cubs.

The Mets and Cubs have already worked out a trade this season, as veteran pitcher David Peterson was traded to Chicago in exchange for 2025 second-round pick Cole Mathis.

While there are some big names on the Mets that would give the Cubs a boost, fans shouldn’t sleep on veteran rental relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter either. Both pitchers have been linked to the Cubs in recent years, and either would be a solid addition at the trade deadline as well.