City switcher: Clay Holmes confident and excited about move from bullpen to rotation with NY Mets

NEW YORK (AP) — After spending six years in the bullpen, Clay Holmes is confident he can become an effective starting pitcher and he's excited about the change.

He also was optimistic his move across town to the New York Mets might even send a positive signal to a certain superstar teammate: slugger Juan Soto.

Holmes agreed to a $38 million, three-year contract with the Mets this month, two days before Soto also left the American League champion New York Yankees for a record $765 million, 15-year deal with their crosstown rivals. Both free agent signings were finalized last week.

“Deep down, I can't lie," Holmes said Tuesday on a Zoom call with reporters. "I mean, I obviously made my decision because I think it's the best place. But hopefully, you know, I was like, maybe Juan sees this and sees that the water's fine and will follow me over here. So, I'm super pumped for it.”

A two-time All-Star as the Yankees' closer, Holmes was a starter in the minors and said the idea of switching back has always been in the back of his mind. He was even “somewhat excited” back in 2020 about the prospect of possibly starting for a team overseas.

As a reliever, the right-hander relied heavily on a nasty sinker that averaged 96.6 mph last season. He threw it 56% of the time, along with 23% sliders and 21% sweepers, and that repertoire helped produce a 68.6% groundball rate over the past three years that was the best in the majors.

Those numbers are a big reason Holmes profiles as a pitcher who could potentially work deep into games, quieting hitters from both sides of the plate.

But he also practiced a changeup and four-seam fastball to keep things fun during bullpen sessions this year with Yankees assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, hired by the Mets this offseason to serve in the same role.

“I think just, there's some room there for an arsenal that's kind of tough to do as a reliever,” Holmes said. “You have a very limited window and pitches you can keep sharp, and you kind of have to rely on your strengths a lot more. But I do think I have the depth, the arsenal to be a little more unpredictable than just relying on my sinker all the time. And I think starting gives me the best opportunity to do that and expose it. So, I'm excited to see what this could bring, the changeup and the four-seam.”

Holmes made 114 starts in the minor leagues, but his only four in the majors came as a rookie with Pittsburgh in 2018.

Once he became a free agent this fall, Holmes said he met with clubs that expressed an interest in him as a starter and he didn't want to look back on his career and regret never trying it again. He said he had no such discussions with the Yankees.

He's happy about staying in New York and thinks the Mets are a good fit as he makes the move because of the pitching infrastructure they have in place under president of baseball operations David Stearns — including Druschel, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and manager Carlos Mendoza, the Yankees' bench coach during much of Holmes' time in pinstripes.

Stearns and Mendoza helped the Mets make a surprising run to the National League Championship Series last season, their first with the team.

“I think the culture here they've created is something that I think people want to be a part of. There's a real momentum here,” Holmes said. “It just gave me a lot of confidence. This is definitely not going to be a transition that just happens, (that) I can do by myself. And so, surrounding myself with people that I felt really good about was important.”

Holmes has a $12 million player option for 2027 with no buyout. He said he wants to throw 160 innings next season and he's glad the Mets aren't putting any predetermined limits on his workload.

He joins a rotation projected to include Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Frankie Montas and Paul Blackburn, with other candidates such as Tylor Megill in the mix.

Holmes said he'll probably need to make some adjustments to his conditioning but he feels fortunate to be working out this offseason with All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet, recently traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox.

Crochet is one of several former relievers around the majors who have been very successful in converting to a starting role over the past few years, including San Diego’s Michael King, Atlanta's Reynaldo López and Kansas City’s Seth Lugo.

Holmes said he can't wait to pick King's brain — the two were teammates with the Yankees before King was shipped to the Padres in the December 2023 trade that put Soto in pinstripes for one season.

“There's kind of somewhat of a little road map. You see how guys do it. It's not super common, but you don't feel like you're in uncharted waters,” Holmes said. “I'm excited to take this on.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

New York Mets' Juan Soto speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

FILE -New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes delivers against the Kansas City Royals during the sixth inning of Game 1 of the American League baseball division series, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — When the Denver Broncos won their first AFC West title in a decade last week, Sean Payton said he didn't talk about it with his team and he told reporters he'd heard the commemorative caps and T-shirts were ugly.

So, it's not surprising when Payton insists he's not focused on the NFL-best and franchise-record 64 sacks the Broncos have piled up heading into Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers with the AFC's top playoff seed on the line.

“I'm not worried about the sacks, not worried about the sacks,” Payton said. "I'm worried about caging the quarterback, rushing him properly. So we’re not focused on the sack numbers. Those can actually be numbers that help a quarterback climb up in the pocket.

"A lot of it maybe has to do with who we’ve been playing relative to the quarterback position, but I’m not interested in the sack numbers.”

Still, they're significant.

The Broncos' 64 sacks, one more than they had last year when they also led the league, are 11 more than the next team's, the Atlanta Falcons, who have 53.

A whopping 17 Denver players have gotten in on the sack attack, led by Nik Bonitto with 12 1/2.

“I think that's the most underrated part about when we rush the passer, or a lot of these blitzes that are being called, is we have so many unselfish guys," Bonitto said. "The D-tackles being willing to drop in coverage, the outside linebackers being able to drop in coverage and the DBs knowing when to blitz and just guys rushing the right way.

“That's why we're seeing the numbers that we are and everybody's able to get a piece of the cake when it comes to getting the sacks.”

For a while, the Broncos were on pace to set the NFL record for most sacks in a season, a mark that's held by the Chicago Bears, who had 72 sacks in 1984.

But since their bye week a month and a half ago, the Broncos have averaged three sacks a game, down from the 4.45 clip they produced during their first 11 games.

To curtail Denver's pass rush, opposing quarterbacks have been getting the ball out of their hands quickly.

“They'd better,” Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph cracked.

Or else they'll get sacked.

But playing the short game with quick passes to keep the Broncos at bay only plays into the the Broncos' hands in the bigger picture as opponents curtail their own downfield passing game to keep their quarterback upright.

“Absolutely, I see that as we’re first in yards per play and we’re first in giving up (the fewest) big plays. That’s it,” Joseph said. “So, if you want to chase numbers, let’s chase the right numbers. And numbers change and numbers can tell a lot of stories. But teams don’t want to get sacked by us, so the ball is coming out quicker. But if we tackle well, it doesn’t hurt us.”

That's where sure-handed rookie Jahdae Barron comes in as the Broncos implement their “Big Nickel" defense in heavy doses with inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw (hamstring) sidelined.

Denver's defense has had to adjust to the quicker releases, too.

“My point to our guys is basics, tackling, the ball is going to come out quicker. D-line, get your hands up, knock some balls down,” Joseph said. “No one’s going to hold the ball against us. It’s gonna be the same on Sunday, it’s gonna be the same in the playoffs, if they hold it we’re going to sack them.”

The Broncos only sacked third-string Chiefs QB Chris Oladokun one time in their 20-13 win at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas night, but they limited him to 66 yards passing and held Kansas City to just 139 yards of total offense.

Joseph insists the Broncos could have obliterated the single-season sack record if Denver's pass rushers weren't unselfish. But they're a disciplined bunch, not rushing past the quarterback's deepest drop and, as Payton said, focused instead on caging the quarterback.

If he steps up to avoid the rush, defensive lineman Zach Allen has been there to close the escape route. Allen's 45 quarterback hits so far lead the league, eight ahead of second-place Myles Garrett, who can set the single-season record with a sack on Sunday.

Allen's 68 quarterback pressures are the most by any NFL interior defensive lineman.

“We're not rushing recklessly (and) passing the quarterback to get 64 sacks," Joseph said. “So, it's being done right.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)