The Philadelphia Phillies have been in the hunt for bullpen help this offseason after having two key members from their 2024 relief corps in Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman leave for free agency. Their bullpen was one of their main strengths last season, so they are hoping to revamp their relief corps to produce ultimately the same results or perhaps even better for the upcoming year.
However, one of the top options in the market has now been taken as the division rival New York Mets are in agreement on a three-year, $38 million contract with former New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes, as per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Right-hander Clay Holmes and the New York Mets are in agreement on a three-year, $38 million contract with an opt-out after the second year, sources tell ESPN. Mets plan to turn Holmes, who has spent his big league career as a RP, into a starter. On the news: @Joelsherman1.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2024
Phillies had interest in Clay Holmes but had no chance against Mets signing him as a starter
Holmes had been ranked by Baseball America as the top reliever available in free agency this offseason. Of more significance is the fact that the Mets plan to use him as a starter after spending his entire MLB career as a reliever. Holmes will now join forces with recent signee Frankie Montas as part of the revamped starting rotation for the Mets for the upcoming 2025 season.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies had actually checked in on Holmes this offseason(subscription required). After all, Holmes was a key member of the Yankees bullpen this past postseason, helping New York reach the World Series for the first time since 2009. Holmes posted a solid 3-1 record with a 2.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, along with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched over 13 playoff appearances. That was exactly what the Phillies were missing with their own bullpen misadventures in the playoffs.
On top of that, Holmes also played a huge role during the regular season in helping the Yankees finish first in the AL East with a 94-68 record. Holmes compiled a solid 3.14 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 68 strikeouts and 30 saves in 63 innings of work over 67 relief appearances. Despite some struggles during the latter half of the season when he ended up losing his closing duties, Holmes did manage to get himself back together in time for playoffs to become a significant contributor to the Yankees’ postseason run.
Had the Phillies landed Holmes, he would have instantly be the answer to their closer role for 2025, given his success during the past three seasons with New York. However, as it turns out, Holmes was likely seeking the opportunity to become a starter in the majors, much like how pitchers Jordan Hicks, Reynaldo Lopez and others have done in recent years. In fact, there were many prospective teams that were interested in signing him in that role, as reported by Jayson Stark of The Athletic. As a result, the Phillies had practically no chance in matching that offer made by the Mets. Not because they couldn’t afford a measly $38 million, but more because they would have preferred to use Holmes as a reliever instead.
With that, the Phillies will now need to go back to the drawing board and pursue other options to fill their bullpen needs for 2025. Hopefully, with the Winter Meetings starting soon, Philadelphia has something in store to officially kickstart their free agent frenzy with a bang.