Former New York Yankees Closer Clay Holmes Drawing Interest as Starting Pitcher

After an up-and-down season in the bullpen, could Holmes end up making a move to the rotation?

New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes (35) throws during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct 29. / John Jones-Imagn Images

After an up-and-down season in the bullpen, reliever Clay Holmes is reportedly drawing interest as a starting pitcher on the free agent market.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post had the information in the New York Post (subscription required), with MLBTradeRumors posting the following:

Clay Holmes is one of the top bullpen arms in free agency. While Holmes is surely drawing interest in his typical relief role, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that a few clubs are considering the right-hander as a candidate for a move to the rotation. According to Sherman, the Mets are among the teams looking into Holmes as a potential starter.

The 31-year-old just finished his seventh season in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees, going 3-5 with a 3.14 ERA. Holmes appeared in 67 games, saving 30 of them, as the Yankees got to the World Series. He made the All-Star Game for the second time in three years, but he was demoted out of his closer's role at the end of the season, with Luke Weaver ascending into the position for the playoffs.

Lifetime, Holmes is a 24-22 with a 3.71 ERA. He has 74 games and will undoubtedly attract interest in someone's bullpen.

It's hard to see Holmes transitioning to a starter given his age and that he's never worked more than 70.0 innings in a season, but we did just see guys like Garrett Crochet, Reynaldo Lopez and Jordan Hicks make the move. However, each of those players is at least three years younger than Holmes. There's also more money in the starting pitcher market.

With regards to the Mets specifically, they are casting a wide net for pitching even after signing Frankie Montas to a two-year deal.

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