Cubs Can't Afford To Lose This Impending Free Agent

The Chicago Cubs will face a lot of tough decisions this upcoming offseason. The Cubs have a handful of key players set to hit free agency. Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Kevin Gausman will all hit the open market at the end of this season. Those are quality players who may not be with the team next year. The Cubs likely can't afford to keep both Happ and Suzuki, and Boyd could be looking for a multi-year deal following another strong year on the mound. However, Chicago has one potential free agent it has to re-sign no matter what. It could be a massive mistake if the Cubs let veteran right-hander Clay Holmes leave this upcoming offseason. While Holmes is not technically a free agent, all signs point to the 33-year-old testing out the free agent market. He has a $12 million player option for the 2027 season, which he will almost certainly decline before the offseason. The Cubs must do everything they can to get Holmes back for next season and beyond. He fits in quite perfectly on this team, and that has been on display in his first five starts with the North Siders. The former All-Star reliever has a 1.55 ERA to begin his Cubs tenure. He has been nails on the mound since arriving at the trade deadline and has allowed only one run over his last 25 innings pitched. Holmes threw 6 ⅔ shutout innings against the Cardinals on August 14, delivered 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball against the White Sox on August 19, threw seven scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks on August 25, and recently threw six shutout innings against the Brewers on August 31. Holmes being an extreme groundball pitcher has really helped him early in his Cubs tenure. He has enjoyed every bit of pitching in front of an infield that features former Gold Glover Alex Bregman, former Gold Glover Dansby Swanson, former Gold Glover Nico Hoerner, and above-average fielder Michael Busch. The nine-year veteran currently owns a 99th-percentile groundball rate (59.8%). That high groundball rate, combined with a solid chase rate (33.3%) and a 92nd-percentile pitching run value, has boosted his numbers on his new team. The Cubs can't let him get away after this season. His stuff will keep playing well on a team with multiple Gold Glove winners. Holmes is the one player the front office desperately needs to bring back. Best Newest first Oldest first