The right hand Clay Holmes is a clear trade candidate as the Mets head toward the trade deadline. He is currently on the injured list as he rehabs a hamstring that was torn in May when he was hit by a returner but should not be out for long. The Mets have reportedly at least considered a contract extension for the veteran, but Holmes told the team beat today that there are no serious discussions on that (via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo).
Holmes, 33, is in the second season of a three-year, $38MM contract. The last season of that deal is a $12MM player option for the 2027 campaign, though, and as long as Holmes is healthy, it’s widely expected that he’ll decline that player option and return to the open market. His performance so far since signing with Queens makes that word out irrelevant.
When Holmes was used as a late reliever and ended up being a closer in his time across town in the Bronx, the Mets signed him with an eye toward stretching him back as a starter. The test could not have been better. Holmes has appeared in 43 games (40 starts) and pitched 218 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA, a strikeout rate of 18.9%, a walk rate of 9.2% and a massive groundball rate of 55.8%. That included a 2.39 ERA, 20.9 K% and 8.4 BB% in 52 2/3 frames this year before that badly pitched streak sent him to the injured list for two-plus months.
In Holmes’ absence, the Mets’ already terrible start to the season spiraled out of control. New York currently sits at 43-60, dead last in the National League East and has the fifth-worst record in Major League Baseball. There is no mystery as to how they will reach the deadline. They have already told other clubs that they will sell veteran pieces. The words are similar Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, Christian Scott again AJ Ewing they won’t change hands before the deadline, but most of the roster will be available — including Holmes, given his active recruiting status.
Holmes made his minor league debut yesterday. It didn’t go so well. He threw 2 1/3 innings in the Mets’ Triple-A club and allowed two runs on three hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He sat at 93.4 mph in his sinker – not far from the 93.7 mph he averaged in the first nine before the injury. Some early rust is to be expected as he (literally) gets his legs back under him; teams will not be excluded from one renewal exit.
Almost any opponent in need of rotation help will have some interest in Holmes. Other clubs in need of bullpen help may be interested in adding him after the rest of the season. The White Sox, who are looking for help on both sides of the pitching staff, are among the teams known to be interested. Holmes’ $13MM salary won’t be any kind of deterrent for a Chicago club whose payroll sits just north of $89MM, as shown in MLBTR’s new Payroll Tracker — though the Mets apparently aren’t interested in paying any salary to the names they’re finally moving.
In theory, the Mets could hold onto Holmes and make a decent offer, but even with injuries and an exit offer weighing less on his value, they should still be able to get a better return on him on the trade market. Since the Mets are top taxpayers with no hope of getting under the cap, they will only receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round — rather than after the first — in the event that Holmes (or any other nearby free agent) declines a qualifying offer and signs elsewhere.
The trade appeared to be the most popular scenario from the jump – a fact that was only emphasized when Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported on it a few days ago – and Holmes’ acknowledgment of the lack of real discussions about the former extension only further hammers home.
