Follow the money to figure out what the NY Mets will do with Clay Holmes in 2026

A debate throughout a large part of the 2025 season was whether or not Clay Holmes should go to the bullpen. A limited starting pitcher who couldn’t seem to get through the sixth inning, he still managed to piece together a season complete with 31 starts, a pair of relief appearances, and a boat load of innings. The experiment was a New York Mets success.

Signed for $13 million in 2026 with a player option for $12 million in 2027, the Mets can do Holmes a big financial favor by keeping him in the rotation. Starting pitchers tend to get paid more than relievers and understandably so. They don’t owe him a thing.

Rising Apple’s Noah Wright went into detail about why, statistically, Holmes should get moved to the bullpen to begin the year. There are arguments for both roles. The opposing one, of leaving him in the rotation, comes down to dollars.

Follow the money and we know Clay Holmes will remain in the Mets rotation

Automatically moving Holmes into the Mets bullpen means three $10+ million relievers, unless the team does something silly like let Edwin Diaz walk. They already have A.J. Minter under contract for 2026. Both he and Holmes could be considered Diaz alternatives at a lesser cost. Would we really be satisfied with that outcome?

At $13 million next year, Holmes is getting the kind of money a top closer might. He’s a value signing at the moment for the number of innings he was able to give the Mets this past year. Ignoring the day-to-day stresses of having him as the probable starter, his overall results were promising as a mid-rotation arm.

Plans can always change this offseason, but the mindset going into this winter should have Holmes starting for the Mets once again. The club invested a lot of time and effort into him. Things went well in spite of the limited ability to give them length. The 20th best ERA in the majors among qualified pitchers is nothing to ignore. It’s exactly where Sean Manaea placed himself the year prior with a 3.47 ERA. More effective in other ways, it’s hard to not be content with what Holmes did for the Mets as a starter.

Steve Cohen’s pockets run deep. However, there needs to be a limitation on how many big ticket items the club has in its bullpen. Holmes could always pitch his way out of the rotation. The same could be true for Manaea or, dare we believe it possible, Kodai Senga.

Holmes to the bullpen to begin the year is only happening in a world without Diaz making close to $20 million. If Diaz picked up his option at the current rate, the bullpen would already cost over $42 million. The team will undoubtedly spend on relievers. What they probably won’t do is have three relievers making over $10 million per year with the Holmes shift creating a vacancy in their rotation to go with it.

We’ll go into next year knowing there’s a good chance Holmes ends up in relief at some point. To begin the year, milk every inning you can from him. He's a clear candidate to move aside in favor of a young pitcher somewhere along the journey.