The New York Mets agreed to terms with a free agent from the New York Yankees on Friday night.
It is just not the big name that everybody was expecting.
No, it was not outfielder Juan Soto (who the Mets are in the running to sign), but instead pitcher Clay Holmes, who has reportedly signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the team.
What is most interesting about this move is the Mets reportedly plan on using Holmes as a starting pitcher, and not a relief pitcher as he has been throughout almost all of his Major League career.
The 31-year-old Holmes has spent seven years in the major leagues, and of his 311 appearances, only four of them have come as a starting pitcher.
All four of those starts came in his rookie season back in 2018.
In the early part of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Holmes struggled to find consistency no matter what role he was used in. He was eventually traded to the Yankees in 2021 and almost immediately became one of the most effective relief pitchers in baseball.
He spent the past three seasons as the Yankees closer, but he struggled mightily this season.
Going from that role, where he could go all-out for just one inning at a time, to a starter is going to be a pretty massive transition and might take some time for him to build up to that.
While that will be a fascinating experiment to watch unfold, he certainly has the stuff to make it work and elite pitches that could play well as a starter.
If he fails as a starter? It should not be an issue for the Mets to put him back in the bullpen and let him go back into a role where he has excelled in recent years.
