Juan Soto wasn't the only Met to make the Yankees look silly on Saturday

As part of an offseason rotation overhaul, the New York Mets decided to take a gamble, inking former New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million deal to turn the veteran into a starter. Even though it seemed like a risk — since 2021, Holmes has posted a 3.02 ERA out of the bullpen — it’s not as rare an occurrence as you might think. Seth Lugo, Michael King, Zack Littell, Christopher Sanchez, and Ronel Blanco ar all former relievers who had a great 2024 season as starters, and with Juan Soto taking up a healthy chunk of the payroll, David Stearns had to get creative to build rotation depth.

Besides, Holmes didn’t have as bad of a 2024 season as many think. The Yankees slotted him into the closer role for most of the season, and while he suffered several high-profile meltdowns, he settled in down the stretch, posting a 2.25 ERA after ceding the ninth to Luke Weaver. In the postseason, he allowed only three runs across 13 games.

When Holmes took a deal across town this winter, many Yankees fans rejoiced, remembering only the lows of his tenure in the team's bullpen. But it hasn't taken long for Holmes to show everyone that he might be one of the steals of the offseason.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.

Holmes could turn out to be an underrated signing in the Mets rotation

Wanting to give the righty as much time as possible to transition into his new role, the Mets gave him the first start of spring training on Saturday against the Houston Astros. And Holmes did not disappoint, firing three perfect innings while showing off a new and improved changeup.

Holmes has always generated a ton of ground balls; last season, 64.6 percent of the batted balls Holmes generated resulted in grounders. He is not a strikeout pitcher by any stretch, but he knows how to get quick outs that should allow him to go deeper into games. And if his repertoire changes stick, he could have more than enough to be a serviceable fourth starter.

On paper, New York’s starting rotation isn't rock-solid. Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson should be a good front three, but it’s all question marks behind them. With Frankie Montas going down with a lat injury already, that leaves two spots open. The Mets will be counting on Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, or Paul Blackburn to finalize the rotation with Montas being out.

If Holmes can post a sub-3.75 ERA and give his team somewhere between 26 to 32 starts, he’d be a great No. 4. Then, the completion of New York’s rotation would change. However, he is capable of being even better than that. If his first spring training start isn’t a fluke, Stearns and the Mets might’ve struck gold by signing Holmes.