Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes has generated a strong trade market as MLB contenders line up for pitching help.
- After throwing four shutout innings in a rehab start, he attracted scouts from the Dodgers, White Sox, Rays, Phillies, and others.
- With contract extension talks stalled, the healthy veteran is positioned as one of the most valuable starting pitchers available.
In a trade deadline filled with uncertainty, with some teams still unsure if they will buy or sell, there's a shared sentiment among rival executives that New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes will have a very strong trade market.
“It would be a surprise if he didn’t [get traded],” one high-ranking American League executive said.
The biggest question among rival execs surrounding Holmes, 33, was how he’d look coming off a fractured right fibula. On Tuesday evening in Single-A St. Lucie, he threw four shutout innings and allowed two hits while throwing 59 pitches. His velocity hovered around 92-94 mph, according to multiple sources who watched the outing. He came out of the outing healthy and checked another box off for teams needing a starting pitcher.
Multiple contenders are already lining up for Clay Holmes
Among the teams that were in attendance for Holmes’ start included the Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers, sources say. The Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies were also in attendance, according to MLB.com.
The White Sox are in the market for a starting pitcher, with the organization casting a wide net in their search for reinforcements. The Rays also have interest in Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta. The Dodgers have interest in Skubal, and the need for the left-hander has grown with questions surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s availability on the mound.
The Rangers will buy, but questions persist about how much financial flexibility they will have to add. The Diamondbacks need an arm while they await internal reinforcements to come off the Injured List. The Phillies remain active on the market, sources say, and star outfielder Bryce Harper has publicly said that the team needs reinforcements.
Why a Brewers reunion for Freddy Peralta remains unlikely
Another team that makes sense for Holmes: the Milwaukee Brewers. While there have been conversations between the Mets and Brewers about a Freddy Peralta trade that would send the right-hander back to Milwaukee, there is skepticism from multiple sources about the likelihood of a reunion. Holmes, a groundball pitcher, would surely benefit from playing behind the Brewers’ defense while giving them additional depth with Kyle Harrison on the Injured List and the team hoping to monitor Jacob Misiorowski’s innings before the postseason.
There are surely other clubs that will be in the mix for Holmes, who is earning $13 million this season and has a $12 million player option for 2027. There was a belief that Holmes and the Mets could do an extension to keep the right-hander in Queens through 2026 and beyond, but sources told FanSided last week that an extension was unlikely. Holmes told local reporters on July 24 that there had been no progress regarding an extension.
Which sets up Holmes as one of the best pitchers on the trade market. So while the most pressing question was how he’d fare coming off the fractured fibula, it has now shifted to: what uniform will he wear on August 4?
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