Across Clay Holmes’ first two spring training stars with the New York Mets, he’s looked dazzling. In his first appearance, he recorded three perfect innings. He followed up his stellar Mets debut with another three scoreless innings earlier today. He’s starting to turn heads for those who questioned David Stearns’ decision to sign Holmes and experiment with him as a starting pitcher.
We shouldn’t overreact to spring training results, but it’s hard to ignore Holmes’ stellar outings. In the last four seasons, he pitched to a 3.05 ERA. He was also the best groundball pitcher over the past two seasons. If he can stretch out over multiple innings and have the success he had as a reliever, it would be huge for New York.
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Even if Clay Holmes turns into a reliable starter, the Mets should still answer the glaring need
With injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, Holmes has to provide the Mets with reliable outings. Even if Holmes becomes a trustworthy arm in their rotation, New York shouldn’t ignore their need for another arm.
After Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Holmes, the rest of their rotation is in shambles. Manager Carlos Mendoza will likely rely on Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn hasn’t had a sub-4.00 ERA since 2017. Megill has never pitched to a sub-4.00 ERA, and Canning posted a 3.99 ERA in his best season.
Manaea won’t be out for too long, but even when he returns, the Mets will still rely on two of their depth guys. Brandon Sproat, their No. 1 prospect, could make an impact in 2025. However, Stearns and Mendoza already indicated their desire to start him in AAA. That said, they should still consider addressing their need for a starter.
New York’s offense is one of the best in MLB on paper. They’re still capable of returning to the postseason without adding another arm. Nevertheless, they could further their odds by signing someone like Jose Quintana, who had success with the Mets over the past two seasons. Trading for an arm such as Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres would change the narrative of the Mets’ rotation. To start the season, they’ll be able to get by with their current rotation. At some point though, they’ll need to add another arm.