The Mets are in agreement with former Yankees reliever Clay Holmes on a three-year contract worth $38 million pending a physical, SNY’s Andy Martino confirmed, as their offseason spending continues. The deal has an opt-out after the second year.
Holmes finished the 2024 season with a solid 3.14 ERA (1.30 WHIP) in 63 innings and had a career-high 30 saves, but he also blew 13 save opportunities and lost his closer’s role late in the season.
The 31-year-old doesn’t figure to be the closer during his time in Queens with that crown still belonging to Edwin Diaz. In fact, the Mets don’t intend on using Holmes as a reliever at all, instead planning on converting him to a starting pitcher, per Passan.
In seven seasons — all as a reliever (except for his first season in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates when he made four starts) — the right-hander is 24-22 with a 3.71 ERA (1.30 WHIP). Since getting traded to the Yanks during the 2021 season, Holmes was converted to a closer and really took off, pitching to a 2.69 ERA (1.11 WHIP) across 217.2 innings.
Regardless, he will now likely join Kodai Senga, David Peterson and recently signed Frankie Montas in the starting rotation for 2025.