In Early in December, the Mets signed former Yankees reliever Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million deal, announcing their intentions to have him transition to the rotation. More than three months later, we’re finally grading that transaction. What gives?
As a peak behind the curtain, sometimes work and life take over, and that definitely played a role in the extended delay here. But the bigger factor was the nature of this signing itself, which prompted a deeper investigation into more generalized questions about the differences between starters and relievers. That effort was not entirely successful, but it did unveil a couple nuggets that can potentially help evaluate the Holmes signing more robustly.