Clay Holmes likes how forward-thinking the Mets are, and he's not alone

Clay Holmes has already made decent progress growing his beard. He came to his Mets introductory news conference Tuesday wearing a purple t-shirt with the words, "Meanwhile, back In Queens" inscribed on the chest. And when he was asked about his decision to come to Flushing from the Bronx shortly before Juan Soto made the same jump, his response was telling.

“Deep down, I can’t lie, obviously I made my decision because I think it’s the best place, but hopefully, I was like maybe Juan sees this and sees that the water’s fine and he’ll follow me over here,” he said. “I’m super pumped for it.”

There's no doubt that Soto absconding to the Mets caused a major paradigm shift in New York baseball, but the signs have been there for a while. First, Steve Cohen poached former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza to be his manager (Mendoza is still highly regarded within the organization, and if some of the Yankees' comments during this last postseason are any indication, beloved among many of the players.) Last month, the Mets tapped Yankees assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, and got him to make a lateral move to work under Jeremy Hefner. This is pivotal in that Druschel is big on the science of pitching, particularly when it comes to pitch shapes and seam orientation.

And then - coincidence of all coincidences - they signed Holmes, a guy Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake in 2022 called "probably our most analytically inclined pitcher, just in terms of understanding spin and seam orientation."

But there's actually more: Holmes Tuesday talked about the Mets vision, the team’s trajectory, and how open they were to his desire to transition back to starting. Asked if he ever even floated the idea of starting to the Yankees, he simply said no.

Holmes wanted to start, and he knew the Mets and their pitching lab probably wouldn’t balk at the challenge. “There’s a lot of reasons the Mets drew me in,” he said. “I think the leadership here – the Cohen family, David Stearns, Carlos Mendoza – I think seeing their leadership and their vision, their belief is something that’s very appealing. I think the culture they’ve created here is something that people want to be a part of.”

If you're the Yankees, this might feel a little troublesome. Oh, make no mistake -guys like Devin Williams, Max Fried and their latest acquisition, Cody Bellinger, make them better, but there appears to be a growing perception around the players that know them best that there are simply more progressive franchises out there. It just so happens that one of them lives right over the RFK Bridge.

When asked about some of the factors that led to his decision, Holmes mentioned Druschel, the Mets “resources” – monetary and otherwise – and the communication he had with the front office. “I think there’s a lot of trust in what they’re able to do and what they see and how they’re able to develop starting pitchers,” he said. “It gave me a lot of confidence. It’s definitely not going to be a transition that just happens.”

It’s no small feat: Holmes throws a sinker, slider and sweeper, but began incorporating a four-seamer late last year. The fastball, by his own admission, is in the “good enough” category, and meant to establish his more effective offerings. He’ll be tinkering with that, and trying to introduce a changeup. And then there’s the durability factor. His goal, he said, is to be able to throw 160 innings, but since he hasn’t started since 2018, that too, is likely to be a work in progress. There’s plenty of precedent, though, with guys like Garrett Crochet, Seth Lugo and Michael King all having success as converted relievers.

Now, granted, this could be a bust. Holmes began his career with the Pirates as a starter and simply wasn't very good. He's unequivocally grown since then, but there are always going to be questions when a pitcher is trying to change so much, so quickly.

And that might make his three-year, $38 million contract feel risky, but it's actually not nearly as bad as all that. First, there's the most obvious escape hatch: If he flails as a starter, Holmes and his devastating sinker/slider combination can still be a potent weapon in the bullpen, last year's struggles notwithstanding. He's a worthy setup option behind Edwin Diaz, and an insurance policy if Diaz showcases some of the ineffectiveness that dotted his 2024 season. He’s also a groundball pitcher, and will benefit from having an elite shortstop in Francisco Lindor behind him.

"I don't see it so much as a rival, like you're switching sides," he said of leaving the Yankees. "I love the city. I've seen the Mets fans...the energy and passion that they bring to the fanbase, and I think that's something I want to be a part of."

For now, the jump to the crosstown rivals seems like a perfect fit. And apparently he’s not the only one that feels that way.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.