Mets among teams interested in Clay Holmes as starting rotation option: report

It might not come as much of a surprise that the Mets are among the teams interested in former Yankees closer Clay Holmes.

But what will likely surprise you is that the Mets and other interested teams are inquiring about Holmes as a potential starting pitching option, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Holmes, who will be 32 by the time the 2025 regular season begins, has not started a game since his rookie season of 2018, when he started four games with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sherman states that teams are more aggressively looking at having relievers return to the rotation after seeing the success of others like former Yankee Michael King and former Met Seth Lugo, who finished as an AL Cy Young finalist after returning to the starter’s role as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

Sherman also notes that Holmes has the pitch repertoire to be a starter, as he throws a four-seamer, sinker, sweeper, and slider, and could develop a changeup. His sinker, which he threw 56 percent of the time in 2024, is considered his dominant offering.

Holmes earned his second career All-Star nod with the Yankees in 2024, pitching to a 3.14 ERA while picking up 30 saves. That said, he did lead the majors with 13 blown saves.

Still, Holmes was terrific overall in his three-and-a-half seasons as a Yankee, posting a 2.69 ERA with 74 saves.