Inside The Mets

Could Mets Sign Yankees' All-Star Reliever in Free Agency?

The New York Mets could pursue one of their cross-town rival's best relief pitchers this offseason.

Grant Young

Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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There's little question that the New York Mets are going to be active in free agency this offseason.

In addition to trying to re-sign Pete Alonso, pursue elite free agent slugger Juan Soto, and perhaps try to acquire a top-tier starting pitcher or two, New York's front office will also likely try to improve their bullpen.

The Mets' bullpen had a collective 4.03 ERA during the regular season, which was the 17th-best in MLB. However, the Mets relievers' ERA ballooned to 5.56 during the postseason, and the team's lack of solid options to bridge the gap between their starters and closer Edwin Diaz.

So the Mets will probably want to address that. And a potential way to do so is former New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes.

An October 27 article from Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer listed Holmes as one of seven 'MLB Free Agents Who Could Become Superstars on New Teams in 2025'.

In the article, Rymer wrote, "Another team might have better luck, either in getting Holmes to downplay his sinker or to stop throwing it entirely. Given how hard he throws (96.6 mph on average) and how nasty his breaking stuff is, he probably could be remade into a more of an archetypal power reliever."

While Holmes lost his closer job in early September after amassing a league-leading 13 blown saves during the regular season, his 2.61 ERA and 9 strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched this postseason (heading into Tuesday's World Series contest) shows that he's still capable of being great.

Spotrac projects that Holmes will receive a four-year, $60 million contract this offseason. While that's a hefty price for a non-closer, the Mets have a lot of money to spend and could use a reliever with Holmes' elite upside. For that reason, he could represent the perfect fit.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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