Clay Holmes makes feelings known about Juan Soto as they reunite as Mets teammates

Clay Holmes has decided to stay in New York, securing a deal with the Mets after spending last season with the Yankees. Holmes was eager to transition from the bullpen to a starting role and reportedly had no discussions with the Yankees about making this shift.

So, Clay Holmes decided to sign a contract with the New York Mets, who accepted him as their starting pitcher. Alongside him, Yankees star Juan Soto will also join the Mets for the 2025 season, and Holmes couldn’t be more excited to play alongside him for another season.

"Juan is a special player. I mean, it was nice to see him throughout the course of the season last year, just because so consistent, just, you have a middle of the bat lineup that is the same at bat, you know, every single time, tough out in the clubhouse, you know," Holmes said in an interview with SNY.

"He's always, you know, being with pitchers and, you know, it's just a guy that's great to have in a clubhouse, great to have in your lineup, bring so much to the table."

Clay Holmes also said that he had been eager to reconnect with Soto on the Mets.

"And, you know, I made my decision, you know, deep down, I was hoping that, you know, he'd follow me over here. And man, when I saw the news, I was, I was ecstatic, you know, and, you know, excited to, to play with him, you know, here with the Mets," he said.

The two-time All-Star made 114 starts during his career in the minor leagues; however, he had only four starts in the majors, all as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018.

Clay Holmes is ready to show his depth in the upcoming season

Clay Holmes relied heavily on his sinker as a reliever, averaging 96.6 mph last season. However, he’s excited to try some new things with former Yankees assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, whom the Mets hired this offseason.

"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."

Clay Holmes said he plans to throw 160 innings next season and is content that the Mets haven’t imposed any limits on his workload so far.