Mets Star Clay Holmes Tabbed 'Best Match' for Brewers Deadline Splash

The Milwaukee Brewers need to add another starter and the New York Mets could help in that department.

Apr 4, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers are getting a significant piece back for the starting rotation on Thursday, but they need to be on the hunt for more.

Logan Henderson will toe the rubber on Thursday for the first time in a big league game since May 22 and the sixth time overall this season. Henderson has a 2.74 ERA so far this season in 23 innings pitched. That production will help the Brewers, especially with Brandon Woodruff on the shelf, but Milwaukee needs another arm. Woodruff is seeking a second opinion after it was revealed that he suffered a new anterior shoulder capsule injury. Henderson is great in his own right, but he hasn't been able to show yet in his young career that he can stay healthy at the big league level.

It's obviously not a large sample size, but he made just five starts in the majors last year and dealt with a flexor strain. This season, he missed time due to a back injury. The Brewers need to make sure they have another veteran option to pair with Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison as we inch closer to the second half of the season and a playoff push. On Thursday, ESPN's Jeff Passan shared a column in which he picked the "best match" and "dream match" for contenders ahead of the trade deadline. For the Brewers, Passan tabbed Clay Holmes as the "best match" for Milwaukee and he's absolutely right.

The Brewers Should Call the Mets

May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Weakness: Playoff-caliber starting pitching," Passan wrote. "Best match: Clay Holmes, RHSP, New York Mets. Dream match: Joe Ryan, RHSP, Minnesota Twins. ... If so, Holmes, returning from a broken right leg, would be more than they did last deadline, when their acquisitions were a reliever who threw 9⅔ innings before getting hurt, a backup catcher and a reserve outfielder."

Holmes is someone we've talked about here as someone Milwaukee should be first in line for if the New York Mets sell.

Holmes hasn't pitched in a big league game since May 15 due to a freak injury. He fractured his right fibula back in May after being hit by a 111.1 miles per hour comebacker. He was spotted throwing a bit back in late June. Before the injury, Holmes was having a career season. Holmes had a 2.39 ERA across his first nine starts of the season. One thing that makes Holmes stand out is the fact that he's not extremely expensive, like someone like Tarik Skubal or Sonny Gray. He's making just $13 million in 2026. He has a $12 million player option for the 2027 season, which is intriguing right now. Will he bet on himself and decline the option to head to free agency? Or will he pick up the option due to the injury question marks?

For the Brewers, they have the best farm system in the game and could afford a risk. When healthy, Holmes has ace upside. It's not as if he suffered some sort of elbow injury this year. He was unlucky and was hit by a comebacker. That doesn't happen every day. He's the type of player Milwaukee should be all over this summer to add to this thin rotation. If Woodruff isn't able to return for a while, the Brewers can't go through this playoff push without a solidified veteran in the rotation. Holmes could be that guy.