The Boston Red Sox will be looking to strengthen their rotation during the current offseason. Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow put together a solid pitching staff in 2026, but the rotation has several question marks heading into the winter. Ace Sonny Gray is now a free agent, and Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello struggled this past season.
With this in mind, The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey has named potential free agent targets for Breslow and the Red Sox. Perhaps the most interesting name on the list is Clay Holmes. The veteran pitcher previously became an All-Star reliever for the New York Yankees. He, however, was converted to a starter by the New York Mets and immediately flourished.
Although Holmes struggled with the Chicago Cubs after a mid-season trade, the pitcher is seemingly a good match for the Boston Red Sox. As McCaffrey points out, the former Yankee posted one of the league’s best ground-ball rates in 2026. Overall, he has an impressive 61.9% ground-ball rate in his MLB career. For reference, the league’s average in this category is just over 42%.
Holmes previously signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets. Nevertheless, he officially opted out of the final year and is now an unrestricted free agent. The starter was scheduled to earn $12 million in 2027, but will now receive a bigger, multi-year deal with another team. The Athletic’s Tim Britton recently predicted that the ace will soon receive a three-year, $57 million contract.
Boston Red Sox Will Face Plenty of Competition for Clay Holmes
The Boston Red Sox should have a decent idea of what a potential contract for Holmes would look like. Former MLB exec Jim Bowden previously predicted that the ace will earn a two-year, $44 million contract in free agency. While different terms, both of these contract projections are in the same neighborhood of average annual value ($19 million and $22 million AAV).
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, however, is not as high on Holmes as The Athletic duo. McDaniel predicted the former Cubs star will get a two-year, $35 million deal ($17.5 million AAV). Britton and Bowden ranked the pitcher among their top 12 free agents, while the ESPN writer has Holmes as the 23rd-best available player in the market.
Interestingly, none of the aforementioned reporters (besides McCaffrey) have linked Holmes to the Boston Red Sox. Instead, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, and Chicago White Sox are among the teams mentioned by Britton and Bowden.
Boston’s Infield Defense is Ideal for a Ground-ball Pitcher
Along with these three teams, the San Francisco Giants and Mets are also expected to compete with the Boston Red Sox for Holmes. Like Boston, both San Francisco and New York desperately need to add starting pitching depth this winter.
While Breslow and the Red Sox will have other options, Holmes would be a relatively safe bet in Boston. Not only would he be cheaper than other more high-profile targets, but his pitching style fits in well at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have a solid infield defense, including a Gold Glove third baseman. Caleb Durbin recently collected his first defensive award in his freshman season in Boston.
Boston Red Sox Named Top Fit for $38 Million Former Yankees Star