The New York Mets had a busy offseason as the team made a splash in free agency. After a surprise run to the NLCS in 2024, the Mets bolstered the roster by signing star right fielder Juan Soto to a $765 million contract that should keep him in New York for the rest of his career.
Led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets also made a less heralded but potentially impactful move by adding former Yankees closer Clay Holmes in free agency. This acquisition was the cause of consternation for a rival GM.
“In December, Stearns frustrated at least one other team that had an interest in transitioning Clay Holmes to a starting pitcher,” Will Sammon of The Athletic wrote. “The Mets outbid the other club for the veteran.”
New York had shown an early interest in signing Holmes this offseason with the intention of using him as a starting pitcher. The plan made sense as it gave the Mets an opportunity to add a top half of the rotation starter for the price of a relief pitcher.
The Mets may have found a bargain in Clay Holmes
Holmes spent the last six years of his seven-year career coming out of the bullpen. He earned the closer job with the New York Yankees in 2022 and made two All-Star Games in the role before he was demoted late last season. Despite losing the closer gig, Holmes still saved 30 games in 2024 and he became a dependable and effective reliever after his role changed.
The Mets and others saw starter potential in Holmes, despite the fact that he has only started four games in his career and hadn’t done so since 2018. Stearns was looking for an impact pitcher at a bargain price given the money allocated to the Soto deal. Ultimately, the Mets signed Holmes to a three-year, $38 million contract.
The frustration around the Holmes signing stems from the fact that Stearns has serious financial backing from team owner Steve Cohen, allowing him to aggressively pursue players. While Holmes signed for a bargain if the team successfully transitions him to a starter, Stearns still outbid other clubs interested in his services at a reliever price point.
The Mets have the highest payroll in baseball. And Cohen’s willingness to spend mixed with Stearns’ ability to use the financial firepower wisely has led to a much improved roster from a season ago when New York played in the NL Championship Series.
As for the Holmes experiment, the early signs point to success. The veteran pitcher has been excellent in spring training with a 1.29 ERA and 0.714 WHIP over four starts. Now New York hopes that carries over into the regular season as the Mets named Holmes the Opening Day starter.
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