The New York Mets may have killed two birds with one stone with their latest signing.
The Queens-based squad signed right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million deal, New York Post's Joel Sherman reported Friday. The deal comes with an opt-out after the second year.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the team is hoping to turn Holmes, who has come out of the bullpen since 2018, into a starting pitcher.
Sherman reported that he could still come out of the bullpen, working as a set-up man for closer Edwin Diaz, but that plan is more of a fall-back.
Holmes, 31, spent the last four seasons across town with the New York Yankees and has come out as their closer in the last three.
He developed into a dominant closer with the New York Yankees after he was acquired from Pittsburgh in July 2021, becoming a two-time All-Star. But he struggled this year with control and allowing hits on soft contact, and he lost his closer’s job to Luke Weaver after allowing a game-ending grand slam to Texas rookie Wyatt Langford on Sept. 3.
Holmes was 3-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 30 saves in 67 appearances, leading the major leagues with 13 blown saves. Rediscovering his sinker, he developed into an effective setup man for the Yankees in the post-season.
Holmes' sinker averaged 96.6 m.p.h. this season, and he threw it 56 per cent of the time, along with 23 per cent sliders and 21 per cent sweepers.
He had 74 saves in 95 chances with the Yankees over the last three years. Holmes is 24-22 with a 3.71 ERA in seven major league seasons.
In four career starts, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018, he has a 1-2 record with a 7.80 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched.
After reaching the NL Championship Series and losing to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets added right-hander Frankie Montas with a $34 million, two-year contract.
Right-hander Luis Severino, who led the Mets in innings with 182, left as a free agent for a $67 million, three-year deal with the Athletics, and left-handers Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana remain on the market.
-- With files from the Associated Press
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.