Teams Reportedly Viewing Philadelphia Phillies Rumored Target As Starting Pitcher

One of the Philadelphia Phillies rumored targets is reportedly being viewed as a starting pitcher this offseason by teams around the league.

Jul 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes (35) looks toward home plate during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

It's hard to understand what the Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up to do this winter.

Once their season ended in disappointing fashion that saw them get embarrassed by the New York Mets at times in the NLDS, everyone knew changes would have to be made to this roster if they were ever going to win a World Series title.

The lineup and bullpen completely fell apart, meaning those areas of the team were circled as clear position groups that needed to be upgraded.

But outside of the Alec Bohm trade rumors, starting pitching has gotten the most buzz.

The Phillies continue to be linked to a blockbuster deal that would bring in Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, something that would bolster their rotation for years to come with one of the rising stars in the sport.

There hasn't been much progress reported on the outfield and reliever search, though.

In fact, when it comes to the prized free agent of Juan Soto, Philadelphia seems to be out of the mix with them reportedly planning on meeting with the superstar, but they aren't one of the teams who have offered a contract yet.

Similarly, names have been floated as possible reliever targets, but that's about all the action that has taken place so far.

One pitcher who has been brought up as someone the Phillies may have interest in is Clay Holmes.

The right-hander has been exceptional for the New York Yankees the past four years with a 2.69 ERA and ERA+ that's 55 points above the league average across his 220 outings, but some struggles as the closer this season caused him to be moved out of that role and created some uncertainty about his future.

Still, he would be a weapon for Philadelphia out of their bullpen, especially with Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez on the open market currently.

But, a new wrinkle has been thrown into Holmes's free agency.

According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, teams around the league, including one of the Phillies' division rivals, are viewing him as a potential starting pitcher going forward.

"A few teams are inquiring about Clay Holmes transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, including the Mets, a source told The Post," he reports.

If that's the case, Philadelphia likely won't land him.

Holmes would get more money as a starter than he would as a reliever, and considering the Phillies are looking for sure things in their rotation at this point instead of taking a chance on someone who hasn't started a game since 2018, both parties could go their separate ways.

This will continue to be something to monitor.

Philadelphia was interested in adding Jordan Hicks last offseason before the signed with the San Francisco Giants to become a starting pitcher, and based on this new information, history could be repeating itself with Holmes.