Clay Holmes’ return will come with a contender.

And Tyrone Taylor will be joining him.

The Mets traded away Holmes and Taylor to the Cubs in exchange for infield prospect Jefferson Rojas, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Monday.

It was an expected sell for the Mets, who can only hope for a second half that shows some promise for 2027 after a brutal stretch to start the season.

Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the first inning when the Mets played the Yankees on May 15. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Holmes previously said he didn’t want to just “find some way out” of Queens amid the mess.

Rather, he wanted “to be part of the solution.”

The 33-year-old holds a 2.39 ERA across nine starts in the big leagues in 2026, and he has made three minor-league rehab starts in his return from a broken fibula suffered in May.

His next big league start should soon follow, and he was seen on the market as a big asset to any contending team.

Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the first inning when the Mets played the Twins on April 22. Robert Sabo for NY Post

It will be Holmes’ first time not playing for a New York City team since 2021, when he joined the Yankees for four years in The Bronx.

Holmes was drafted by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft and made his big league debut in April 2018 at 25 years old.

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He went on to spend four years in Pittsburgh before earning his first All-Star nod in 2022 with the Yankees as a reliever.

The Mets re-converted Holmes to a starting pitcher and he went 16-12 with a 3.26 ERA across 42 outings (40 starts) dating to the start of the 2025 season.

Tyrone Taylor connects on a home run during the Mets’ Aug. 1 loss to the Marlins. Jason Szenes for the NY Post

Holmes holds a $12 million player option for the 2027 season, meaning it’s possible he could re-sign with the Mets as a free agent should he opt to become a free agent.

Taylor, in a resurgent season, has a .794 OPS with 10 home runs as one of the Mets’ most productive hitters.