Feb 17, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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New York Mets Are Betting Big on Clay Holmes as a Rotation Piece

For better or worse, Clay Holmes is now a key part of the Mets' rotation!

Feb 17, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There are plenty of ways to become a big-league Opening Day starter. You could be Paul Skenes – the golden child who gets called up, immediately dominates, starts the All-Star Game, wins Rookie of the Year, lands the MLB The Show 25 cover, and is then, obviously, handed the ball for Opening Day.

Or you could be Michael King, the bullpen guy turned starter, shipped off in a blockbuster trade, only to post a rock-solid 13-9 record with a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts across 30 starts, proving to the world that he belonged in a rotation all along.

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Or… you could be Clay Holmes. Lock down 24 of 27 saves in 2023, start 2024 with 20 straight scoreless appearances, become an All-Star, and then watch the baseball gods flip the script entirely – leading the league in blown saves (13), getting demoted from the closer role, and turning into every Yankee fan’s everyday punching bag. Then, a few months later, sign a three-year, $38 million deal with the Mets, who decide, let’s make him a starter.” Injuries pile up, plans shift, and suddenly, Clay Holmes is getting the ball against the Houston Astros on March 28.

Clay Holmes has blown his 11th save opportunity of the season pic.twitter.com/is8X2ixzOt
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 4, 2024

The Mets’ rotation is in such rough shape that they’re turning to a pitcher who hasn’t started a game in seven years, and asking him to double his workload overnight.

For the past four seasons, Clay Holmes has been a steady reliever, consistently throwing between 63 and 70 innings with a 3.05 ERA and 74 saves. But with Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea sidelined by non-throwing injuries, the Mets don’t have the luxury of keeping him in the bullpen. They need him to stretch past 150 innings, whether he’s ready or not.

Holmes, who turns 32 next month, is following a path carved out by Seth Lugo, Michael King, and Jordan Hicks, relievers who transitioned into starting roles. And so far, the adjustment is going smoothly. He reported to camp capable of handling three innings right away, and his cutter and changeup are already in midseason form. He’s also incorporating his changeup against right-handed hitters, something new in his arsenal. His pitch count is steadily climbing, hitting 77 in a recent start, with an eye on 90 by Opening Day.

Clay Holmes starter pack:

3.2 IP
1 H
0 R
8 K pic.twitter.com/1HbTg7Uay4
— MLB (@MLB) March 9, 2025

Spring training numbers are barely anything, but Holmes has delivered a 1.29 ERA over 14 innings with 15 strikeouts, exactly what the Mets need from him. Now, the real test begins: can a 32-year-old reliever hold up over a full season as a starter?

It’s a risk. But the Mets are out of options, so for better or worse, Clay Holmes is now a key part of their rotation.

Clay Holmes

Mets

Yankees

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.