Clay Holmes, SP
Position: RHP Age: 33 (3/27/93)
2026 Stats: 4-4, 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 52 2/3 IP, 45 SO, 18 BB, 3 HR, 9 GS
2026 Advanced Stats: 1.2 fWAR, 3.90 xERA, 174 ERA+, 3.23 FIP, 3.71 xFIP, 20.9 K%, 8.4 BB%, .206 BA Against, .252 BABIP
Rundown
Clay Holmes was off to an excellent start this year when he was hit by a 111 mph comebacker off the bat of Spencer Jones of the Yankees and fractured his right fibula on May 15. He is expected to start throwing live batting practice soon and return to the mound in August.
He signed a three-year, $38 million deal with the Mets before the 2025 season, with a $12 million player option after this season. So a lot could happen with Holmes this winter. He could stay for $12 million. He could test free agency. If he opts out, New York could then make him the qualifying offer, which would be about $23 million for one season. He could accept it. If he were to reject it and sign elsewhere, the Mets would gain a draft pick after the fourth round in 2027. (The Mets could also opt against making a qualifying offer.)
Also toss into the mix that he told Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic that he would consider working out a contract extension before the season ended.
“I know things are not the easiest right now and hard, but it’s not like I’m sitting here hoping to run away from it,” Holmes told The Athletic. “If I can be part of the solution to make things better here, I would like that.
“I came here for a reason. You almost have the sense of some type of unfinished business. You want to make things right and do things well here because when you do win here, it’s very exciting. I’ve seen that. It’s something that I hope to be a part of. I don’t know what that looks like. But that desire is still there.”
An anonymous source told The Athletic the Mets “haven’t closed the door” on the idea.
Of course, the Mets could also deal him. He has never made a playoff start, but in 20 postseason relief innings with the Yankees, he pitched to a 1.35 ERA.
Potential Landing Spots
1. Brewers – Who starts Game 2 of a playoff series for Milwaukee after ace Jacob Misiorowski? Kyle Harrison? Old friend Brandon Sproat? Brandon Woodruff and Logan Henderson are two candidates who are injured at the moment. Milwaukee was swept by the Dodgers in the NLCS last year and it wouldn’t be a surprise if those teams met in October again.
2. Cubs – Chicago has multiple injuries in its starting rotation as well and is in the thick of the Wild Card race.
3. The American League Central and West – There are six teams with a legitimate chance at a division crown and to varying degrees they could all use a quality starter. The Astros have the worst starting pitcher ERA in the A.L. (5.29 as of this writing), so they might be the best trade partner.
