Like a sculptor with a lump of clay, the New York Mets hope they are developing a masterpiece.
When the Mets signed right-hander Clay Holmes to a 3-year, $38-million contract on December 9, 2024, it was a surprise to many in Major League Baseball that New York did so with the intention of adding Holmes to its starting rotation. After all, in the previous three seasons with the New York Yankees, Holmes had twice been named an American League All-Star as a reliever, posting save totals of 20, 24 and 30 with an ERA that consistently sat in the 2.50-3.15 range.
However, the Mets felt strongly that Holmes had the makeup to be even more successful opening games than he was closing them.
“Clay has an elite repertoire, knows New York, and will be a key contributor going forward,” David Stearns, the team’s President of Baseball Operations, said during the press conference to announce the signing.
Holmes also felt strongly that – despite having started only four games across 311 MLB appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who drafted Holmes in the 9th round of the 2011 Draft, and Yankees – he was meant to be a starter.
“I didn’t want to look back at the end of my career and say, ‘Man, what could have come from that?’” Holmes said. “It was something that deep down, I still had a passion for.”
Early Results Encouraging as Clay Holmes Dominates in Spring Starts
It’s an ongoing process, but early returns are certainly promising.
In his third spring training start on Sunday, Holmes was nearly unhittable during the 3⅔ innings pitched against Washington, allowing just one hit while striking out eight and walking three. So far this spring, Holmes has not given up any runs over 9⅔ innings, striking out 13 batters against four walks, with an impressive WHIP of 0.62.
But perhaps the most encouraging sign for Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, particularly during Sunday’s outing, has been Holmes’s ability to reach into his bag of tricks once it becomes apparent that not everything is working.
“On a day that he’ll probably tell you that the two-seam [fastball] wasn’t at its best, that’s part of the transition,” Mendoza said. “As a reliever, you don’t have your ‘A’ pitch and you’re gonna have to find a way to get it back. Now, as a starter, he’s finding a way to use whether it’s a slider, the changeup, the cutter, the four-seam, finding a way to get through innings, and he did that today.”
Process Continues as Clay Holmes Transitions From Reliever to Starter for Mets
Holmes said he actually took some baby steps toward the transition from reliever to starter while still with the Yankees, as he had been working on the four-seamer and changeup that he intends to make regular deliveries in his routine, particularly during those games when the upper-90s sinker that remains his go-to pitch isn’t quite doing what he wants it to do.
“Today I learned that the sinker command wasn’t totally there early and instead of trying to force that, the changeup allowed me to pull back a little bit and I really got to see how it was playing,” Holmes said after Sunday’s game. “I got a ground ball early with it and some swing-and-miss. Kind of being forced a little bit and have some success with it was good to see.”
And Holmes knows there is plenty more work to be done before this transition can be truly considered a success, not the least of which is stretching out to 90-plus pitches in a single game. Holmes threw 67 against the Nationals, which he said was “probably the most pitches I’ve thrown in a while.” The Mets plan to have Holmes start three more games before breaking camp.
“These next few outings I am looking forward to stretching toward that final pitch count,” Holmes said. “But also just seeing how my stuff plays the second and third time through the lineup.
“Doing a little more than just throwing sinkers. I am going to see how I use my pitches, have some type of game plan, read swings, I want to deviate. I am going to experience a little more these next few outings.”
Mets Signing Could Be A Masterpiece