Clay Holmes isn't the only NY Mets player pitching his way out of the rotation

For weeks, many New York Mets fans have been begging the front office to call up their young pitching prospects. They were tired of guys like Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes giving the team non-competitive starts and failing to make it past the fourth inning. Fans finally got their wish when Montas was moved to the bullpen and Nolan McLean was called up. With the news that Jonah Tong was also being called up to the majors, everyone assumed that Holmes would follow Montas to the bullpen.

However, Holmes is not the only pitcher who has caught the ire of Mets fans. Over the past month, Sean Manaea has gone from the "ace" of the staff to someone you pray can get through four innings. With Manaea being a liability at this point, the smarter move is for Tong to take his spot in the rotation and move Manaea to the bullpen.

Moving Sean Manaea to the bullpen gives the Mets something they've been missing

Holmes is not coming off a great outing on Thursday. Against the Marlins, he pitched five innings, giving up four runs, two earned, five hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Before this start, August had been a rebound month for Holmes. In 20 innings, he had a 4.50 ERA with 18 strikeouts, nine walks, and a WHIP of 1.30. Most importantly, he went five-plus innings in four of his five starts. Something that had been a problem for him during the year.

While these are not the numbers of an ace, for a fifth starter, they're not terrible. If Holmes can become more consistent and not have meltdown games like he had on August 12th against Atlanta, he can be a solid piece in the back of the rotation. Plus, with how explosive the Mets' offense can be, they only need the pitcher to give up fewer than four runs to be in a position to win.

On the other hand, Manaea has experienced a significant decline this season. After a strong 2024 season, Manaea has looked more like his 2023 self. After missing most of the first half with a right oblique strain, he has an ERA of 5.01 in 41 1/3 innings with 53 strikeouts, eight walks, and a 1.14 WHIP. He'll give you three to four really good innings, but will hit a wall around 75 to 80 pitches.

Those types of outings are not what you want from a starting pitcher. But you'll take three innings of dominant pitching from a long man out of the bullpen. That's a role that Manaea could excel in. He could be the guy the Mets turn to when their starter fails to go past the four innings. This will keep the bullpen from getting overworked, because they're not needed to throw five to six innings every night.

This role can also give the Mets an extra edge if they make the postseason. During the 2024 playoff run, one of the unsung heroes was David Peterson. That was because Peterson would come out of the pen and give the Mets two to three innings, keeping their bullpen rested. It allowed them to save their relievers for high-leverage situations late in games. If Manaea can fill that role for a potential 2025 run, it could give the Mets the extra boost to win a series.

Although it's not what the front office hoped Manaea would be doing when they inked him to a three-year deal in December. It could be just what the Mets need coming down the stretch.