Apr 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Mets hurler Clay Holmes gets honest about free agency

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated May 11, 2025 4:00 PM ET

It wasn't necessarily surprising to hear that the New York Mets were interested in acquiring free agent pitcher Clay Holmes this past offseason, as Holmes solidified himself as one of baseball's best relievers over his past few seasons spent with the New York Yankees.

However, when it came out that the Mets were interested in making Holmes a starting pitcher instead of keeping him as a reliever, this decision raised a lot of eyebrows.

That decision has turned out to be ingenious, as Holmes' transition from to the bullpen from the starting corps has been seamless. Through eight starts in 2025, Holmes currently has a 5-1 record, 2.74 ERA, and 44 strikeouts (42.2 innings pitched).

Clay Holmes lowers his ERA to 2.74 with another terrific outing pic.twitter.com/gj0zfmID2B
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 10, 2025

While one might imagine that this change in roles was part of Holmes' plans when he entered free agency at the end of 2024, an interview he did with USA Today's Bob Nightengale that was made into a May 9 article revealed that this wasn't the case.

“I definitely went into the offseason not expecting to be a starter,” Holmes told Nightengale in the article. “I mean, it wasn’t like the World Series ended and I went out seeking to be a starter. It was nothing I thought about.

“Then a couple of weeks later, my agent came to me and said there’s a couple of teams that are throwing out the idea, and were gauging my interest. I started thinking about it, and said, 'Hey, why not? Let’s see what’s out there,'" he continued.

New York Mets' Clay Holmes experiment going perfectly for ex-Yankees All-Star closer https://t.co/LVmVOheH8N
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 10, 2025

One can't understate how great Holme has been for the Mets this season, which is another testament to New York's world-class pitching development under pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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