The New York Mets fielded a surprisingly competitive rotation last year with Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, David Peterson, and Tylor Megill pitching important innings all year long. Paul Blackburn, Christian Scott, Jose Butto, and Kodai Senga also contributed for stretches at a time.
They lost the first three hurlers of this list to free agency, though, so the offseason, besides pursuing Juan Soto, is about putting together a quality rotation again.
The Mets are aiming to upgrade their rotation in free agency
The Mets took the first step towards that goal on Monday when they announced the signing of Frankie Montas to a two-year deal. More help is needed, though, and they are reportedly looking at a star free-agent reliever from the New York Yankees:
“A few teams are inquiring about Clay Holmes transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, including the Mets,” Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported. According to Sherman, the Mets have expressed interest in Holmes as a starting pitcher.
The Mets reportedly like the talented Yankees free agent
Holmes was stellar for the Yankees in the first half of the 2024 campaign but struggled after the break and lost his closer role to a committee that later became just Luke Weaver. When everything was said and done, however, he posted a good 3.14 regular season ERA and was even better in the postseason with a 2.25 mark in 12 frames.
The Mets surely haven’t missed the fact that he has been mostly solid with the Yankees ever since he came over via trade from Pittsburgh in 2021. Throwing his high-movement stuff over the plate has unlocked better control and thus better results.
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The question here is whether Holmes can consistently retire hitters in a starting role and turn opposing lineups two or three times. He has a sinker with insane arm-side movement, a slider, and a sweeper with glove-side movement.
The Mets would have the resources to help the 31-year-old maximize his stuff and command, or potentially learn to use another weapon. It’s, for now, a rumor, but one definitely worth keeping tabs on.
