Clay Holmes is scheduled to make his second start for the New York Mets this evening against the Miami Marlins. That will make two more starts than he’s had in years, and the jury is still out on his transition to the role.
The organization made a big gamble signing Holmes a starting pitcher this offseason. He was one of the top relief pitchers available in free agency, but had no real experience throwing more than an inning at a time. The Mets gave him a two-year, $26 million deal with a player option for 2027, which is commensurate with his market as a closer.
Holmes debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 and started four games for them that season, but he has been exclusively a relief pitcher ever since. He was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2021 season and ascended to the closer role. He was named an All-Star in 2022 and 2024, but he struggled in the second half last season and was supplanted in save situations in September and in the postseason. For his career, he owned a 3.71 ERA over 311 games and 337 1/3 innings heading into the 2025 campaign.
The Mets didn’t just make him a starting pitcher, they named him their Opening Day starter. He has to bear the additional burden of being the ace of a team with World Series aspirations.
His first start didn’t go according to plan. He threw a career-high 89 pitches and his 4 2/3 innings were the most he’d thrown in a game since his rookie year, but he allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, four walks, and a hit-by-pitch to the Houston Astros and took the loss.
One start isn’t enough to determine success or failure, and there were some promising signs. He debuted two new pitches—a cutter and a special type of changeup called a kick change. In addition to his trusty sinker, slider, and sweeper, he now has a robust five-pitch arsenal, and he mixes in an occasional four-seam fastball too. Since he will now face batters two or three times per game instead of just once, he will need those additional arrows in his quiver to keep opponents off balance.
In his first start, he only threw four cutters and four kick changes. It doesn’t appear as though he fully trusts his ability to locate his new offerings yet. Developing a new pitch at the major-league level is a daunting endeavor, so to workshop two at once takes time. How much he uses them—and in which counts and situations—will be a focal point of his second outing.
If all goes well, the Mets will have a quality starting pitcher on a reliever’s salary. The team’s $326.1 million payroll is the second-highest in MLB behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they haven’t shopped at the top of the market for starting pitching. Still, they have three starters earning more than Holmes this season: Sean Manaea ($25 million), Frankie Montas ($17 million), and Kodai Senga ($15.7 million), though Manaea and Montas are on the injured list for the time being.
The Mets are counting on Clay Holmes to thrive in an unfamiliar role. They’ll need him to provide quality innings in the regular season and beyond. We’ll learn more about how well he’s transitioning with every appearance, including tonight’s test in Miami.
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