Cubs restock staff at deadline, acquire pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Mets

CHICAGO (AP) — For the Chicago Cubs, the trade deadline was all about pitching. The rotation, and the bullpen.

Chicago acquired right-hander Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the last-place New York Mets on Monday for touted infield prospect Jefferson Rojas. The Cubs also added reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander Braxton Garrett in two other deals ahead of Monday’s deadline.

Those moves were completed one day after the Cubs augmented their rotation by landing Kevin Gausman in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“In some ways we were as focused as I can remember in a deadline,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “It was very clear we needed to add pitching.”

The Cubs weathered a series of pitching injuries on their way to a 63-49 record and the top spot in the NL wild-card standings going into Monday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also trailed NL Central-leading Milwaukee by 6 1/2 games.

Led by All-Star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs’ group of position players has been in place for most of the season. But Hoyer wanted to make sure the pitching staff was equipped for the res...