The New York Mets are dangling starter Clay Holmes as trade bait, and the Chicago White Sox have suddenly become sellers. There’s a possible match here, according to a report from Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com that referencd Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Holmes is reportedly on Chicago’s radar, as Wite Sox special assistant Nick Hostetler will “keep tabs” on Holmes during his minor league rehab assignment. That was supposed to happen over the weekend, but Holmes’ start with the Brooklyn Cyclones was rained out.

Instead, Holmes threw a live bullpen session that was limited to Mets personnel, which has to be frustrating for the White Sox, who are just a game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. According to Polishuk, the postponement adds more delay to Holmes’ return, and it decreases the chances that he’ll be activated by the Aug. 3 deadline.

Holmes was hurt back on May 15, when a line drive from Spencer Jones of the New York Yankees fractured his right fibula. He was able to avoid surgery, but the injury derailed the Mets plans to trade the right-hander after they announced that they were “open for business” last week.

The Mets probably aren’t bothered by the delay all that much given their current situation at the bottom of the NL East, and they’d probably love to use Chicago’s interest to spark a bidding war. Holmes currently has a 2.39 ERA in nine starts, and there would be risk in sending him back into live action given the possibility of failure and diminished returns.

The White Sox could use the boost Holmes could provide, as would any contender. Starters Sean Burke and Davis Martin have pitched well at the top of the rotation, while the results have been “a little more mixed,” according to Polishuk, for Anthony Kay, Erick Fedde and rookie Noah Schultz.

The ideal scenario for the White Sox would be to acquire Holmes, have him come back healthy and go on a tear, which would be icing on the cake for a club that wasn’t expected to be anything close to a contender this year.

Chicago GM Chris Getz has said his team continues to focus on the big picture, but he can’t ignore what’s been happening.

“We know where we are in the standings, both within the division and Wild Card, and we’re monitoring it” Getz said back in June. “If there’s chances to really add to this group, we’re going to do that.”