Clay Holmes was quietly helping Cubs succeed long before getting traded to the team last week

Clay Holmes came over ahead of this week's trade deadline as one of Jed Hoyer's biggest additions to the Chicago Cubs pitching staff and fans will get their first look at him on the mound this weekend against the Kansas City Royals.

If the Cubs are going to achieve the ultimate goal, Holmes will undoubtedly be a huge part of that. But even before getting traded to Chicago by the New York Mets, his fingerprints were all over one of the team's biggest pitching wins of the season: the breakout campaign of right-hander Ben Brown.

Cubs' Ben Brown gushed about how much Clay Holmes helped him

Back in March, Brown spoke about working with Holmes, who helped him develop a sinker that really expanded his possibilities on the mound. Instead of being a two-pitch pitcher, especially as a starter, he now had a 'plus' pitch as a third offering and the results speak for themselves.

“He’s really kind and gracious with his time,” Brown told MLB.com. “I mean, he was helping me out so much -- mentally, physically, and probably even more on the mental side.”

Before re-aggravating the neck issue that ended his 2024 season mid-summer, Brown was likely ticketed for his first All-Star selection this year. The 26-year-old former Phillies farmhand made 20 appearances, including eight starts, and across 68 innings, pitched to a 1.85 ERA, 2.49 FIP and 0.941 WHIP. He stepped up and filled a dire need in the rotation and had all the makings of an ace before hitting the injured list.

The hope is that Brown will be able to return to the mound - now, with Holmes as a teammate - and help drive a second-half surge for the Cubs heading into the postseason. If everything plays out the way Jed Hoyer and the front office hope, Chicago could soon be in the position of having too many quality arms, which would be a welcome change of pace from earlier in the year.

For now, it's all eyes on Holmes as he gears up for his Cubs debut. If he can impact the team on the mound as much as he did this spring working with Brown, he could end up being a huge difference-maker down the stretch.

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