The trade Cubs absolutely must make after Matthew Boyd tears meniscus playing with kids

The Chicago Cubs are off to a dream start to the season. They are holding down first place in the NL Central and have won 14 consecutive home games. But injuries are starting to catch up to their pitching staff. Justin Steele has not pitched since early 2025, Cade Horton is out for the year, and Matthew Boyd has a meniscus injury. The Cubs have to make a trade, and the New York Mets have the perfect arm.

The Cubs have a great infield defense, which makes New York Mets starter Clay Holmes a great fit. Holmes pitches to soft contact, which crushed any opportunity he had to succeed with the New York Yankees. He went to Queens, where the Mets turned him into a starter, and he has been one of their bright spots. If the Mets continue to struggle, Holmes should be on the move.

The Cubs have been great offensively this year, so their defense has not gotten the attention they deserve lately. But with Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson in the middle, they have one of the best infields in the game. Pair that with Holmes, and this could be a match made in baseball heaven.

The Mets just traded two big-time prospects to the Milwaukee Brewers for Freddy Peralta. This season going down the tubes does not mean they are going to head into a full-blown teardown. They can trade Holmes to the Cubs and still extend Peralta as their new ace. Finding the right balance at this year’s trade deadline will be difficult for David Stearns, but this trade should be a part of it.

The Cubs should be going all-in at this year’s trade deadline. That means a pitcher is a necessity, considering the injuries. The sooner the better for that trade, and Holmes would be a great fit.

Who should the Cubs trade for if Clay Holmes is not available?

The Cubs may need a new starter right now, which may put Holmes out of their reach. If they can wait until the deadline, Holmes would be the perfect fit. But the Mets still want to compete even after their dreadful start, so they aren’t going to trade any pitchers just yet.

If the Cubs are willing to go all-in, they can go right back to the Miami Marlins and trade for Sandy Alcantara. They dealt Owen Caissie to the Fish for Edward Cabrera in the offseason, a deal that has worked out for both sides. As the Marlins struggle their way through the spring, could they cash in on a healthy Alcantara coming back?

The Minnesota Twins tore down their roster at last year’s trade deadline and could trade Joe Ryan before this year’s deadline. The Cubs have to be in on that bidding war if he is moved. In eight starts this year, he has a 3.72 ERA with 40 strikeouts to just ten walks. One of those starts was cut short due to an injury scare, but he has avoided an IL stint.

Both of those pitchers would be solid fits for the Cubs, but the prices will be very high. If there is a bidding war for Holmes, maybe the Cubs’ top prospects would be on the table. But trade discussions around Alcantara and Ryan would start with Ethan Conrad and Kevin Alcantara, their top two offensive prospects.

Every team in the NL Central enters Thursday’s action at least three games over .500, so there is no room for the Cubs to slip up. Could they make this pitching trade sooner rather than later? Or will they wait until the summer to led the contenders separate from the pretenders?

The post The trade Cubs absolutely must make after Matthew Boyd tears meniscus playing with kids appeared first on ClutchPoints.