After spending six years in the bullpen, Clay Holmes is confident that he can become a successful starting pitcher, and he’s excited about this change.
He’s also hopeful that his move to the New York Mets might even inspire a superstar teammate to join him: slugger Juan Soto.
Holmes agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets this month, just two days before Soto left the New York Yankees to join the Mets on a record $765 million, 15-year deal. Both signings were finalized last week.
“Deep down, I can’t lie,” Holmes said Tuesday during a Zoom call with reporters. “I mean, I obviously made my decision because I think it’s the best place. But hopefully, you know, I was like, maybe Juan sees this and sees that the water’s fine and will follow me over here. So, I’m super pumped for it.”
Holmes, a two-time All-Star who was the Yankees’ closer, was a starter in the minors, and he said the idea of going back to starting has always been in the back of his mind. In fact, he was “somewhat excited” in 2020 about the possibility of starting for a team overseas.
As a reliever, Holmes relied heavily on his sinker, which averaged 96.6 mph last season. He threw it 56% of the time, along with 23% sliders and 21% sweepers. This combination helped him achieve the highest groundball rate (68.6%) in the majors over the past three years.
These numbers make Holmes a pitcher who could go deep into games and quiet hitters from both sides of the plate.
However, he also worked on a changeup and four-seam fastball to add variety during bullpen sessions this year with Yankees assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, who was hired by the Mets this offseason to serve in the same role.
“I think just, there’s some room there for an arsenal that’s kind of tough to do as a reliever,” Holmes said. “You have a very limited window and pitches you can keep sharp, and you kind of have to rely on your strengths a lot more.
But I do think I have the depth, the arsenal to be a little more unpredictable than just relying on my sinker all the time. And I think starting gives me the best opportunity to do that and expose it. So, I’m excited to see what this could bring, the changeup and the four-seam.”
Holmes made 114 starts in the minor leagues, but only four in the majors, all as a rookie with Pittsburgh in 2018.
Once he became a free agent this fall, Holmes said he met with clubs that were interested in him as a starter, and he didn’t want to look back on his career and regret never trying it again. He said the Yankees never discussed this possibility with him.
He’s happy to stay in New York and believes the Mets are a great fit as he makes this transition, due to their solid pitching staff under president of baseball operations David Stearns — including Druschel, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, and manager Carlos Mendoza, who was the Yankees’ bench coach during most of Holmes’ time with them.
Stearns and Mendoza helped the Mets make an unexpected run to the National League Championship Series last season, their first with the team.
“I think the culture here they’ve created is something that I think people want to be a part of. There’s a real momentum here,” Holmes said. “It just gave me a lot of confidence. This is definitely not going to be a transition that just happens, (that) I can do by myself. And so, surrounding myself with people that I felt really good about was important.”
Holmes, who will turn 32 in March, has a $12 million player option for 2027 with no buyout. He said he wants to pitch 160 innings next season and is glad the Mets aren’t setting any pre-determined limits on his workload.
He joins a rotation that is expected to include Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Frankie Montas, and Paul Blackburn, with other possible candidates like Tylor Megill.
Holmes mentioned that he may need to adjust his conditioning but feels fortunate to be working out this offseason with All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet, who was recently traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox.
Crochet is one of several former relievers who have successfully transitioned to starting roles in recent years, including San Diego’s Michael King, Atlanta’s Reynaldo López, and Kansas City’s Seth Lugo.
Holmes said he’s excited to talk to King — the two were teammates with the Yankees before King was traded to the Padres in December 2023, a trade that also sent Soto to the Yankees for one season.
“There’s kind of somewhat of a little road map. You see how guys do it. It’s not super common, but you don’t feel like you’re in uncharted waters,” Holmes said. “I’m excited to take this on.”
