A New York Yankees star has landed the payday of his career by joining the New York Mets. We are not talking about Juan Soto.
Former Yankees star Clay Holmes has agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The most interesting part about the deal: The Mets reportedly plan to convert Holmes to a starting pitcher.
Holmes is the Mets’ second addition to the rotation this offseason, as the team landed Frankie Montas on a two-year, $34 million deal earlier this week. The team entered the offseason with starting pitching as a big need due to the free agencies of Luis Severino (already gone to the Athletics), Sean Manaea and José Quintana.
Holmes has been a mainstay of the Yankees’ bullpen since the club acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2021 MLB trade deadline. His work has been mostly impressive, with a 2.69 ERA and 26.6% strikeout rate in 217 2/3 innings across four seasons. He was demoted from closer at midseason in 2024 after a litany of blown saves, but he made up for it with a 2.25 ERA in 13 appearances during New York’s postseason run.
Holmes was a starter during his collegiate career and his run through the Pirates’ minor-league system before he made the switch to reliever as he reached the majors. He made four starts as a rookie and has made 300 relief appearances in the six years since.
A return to starting was rumored when Holmes was meeting with teams in free agency, and it will come to pass with the Yankees’ crosstown rivals.
Can Clay Holmes make it as a starter for the Mets?
The Holmes decision reflects the fervent market for starting pitching this offseason, and the Mets are hoping they can find a bargain by turning a good reliever into a good starter.
The San Francisco Giants made a similar gambit last offseason, when they signed former St. Louis Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks on a four-year, $44 million deal. The move appeared to be working out at midseason — Hicks held a 2.82 ERA in his first 15 starts — but he struggled in July and landed on the IL due to shoulder inflammation in August.
There were more successful reliever-to-starter conversions in 2024 with Garrett Crochet and Michael King, both of whom went from primarily working as relievers to an All-Star nod for Crochet and All-MLB second-team honors for King.
In Holmes’ case, he brings some encouraging signs that he could find success going through the order multiple times. Unlike most relievers, Holmes has three pitches that he uses with regularity: a sinker (used 56.3% of the time in 2024, per Baseball Savant), a slider (23%) and a sweeper (20.5%). He could try to add another pitch, but he already has a solid base.
Holmes has also been elite throughout his career in inducing ground balls, with a 65% rate in 2024, per FanGraphs. That could help his efficiency as he gets used to throwing upward of 50 pitches again.
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