AL East team was reportedly interested in Mets' Clay Holmes during free agency

The Mets weren't the only team during the offseason that was interested in converting Clay Holmes into a starter, per insider.

Apr 20, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It turns out the New York Mets weren't the only team during the offseason that was interested in signing Clay Holmes to convert him into a starting pitcher.

In an April 28 article for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Baltimore Orioles were also interested in signing Holmes to convert him into a starter, especially after losing ace starting pitcher Corbin Burnes to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"A trade for Garrett Crochet, while costly in prospects, would have been monumental for the Orioles’ rotation. A pitching program to identify and maximize modest free-agent additions the way the New York Mets do also would help," Rosenthal wrote. "The Orioles, like the Mets, pursued Clay Holmes with the idea of converting him from a reliever to a starter, but failed to land him."

In first version of this column, I said Orioles pursued Jeff Hoffman as a starter. Not true. They wanted Clay Holmes as a starter, Hoffman only as a reliever. Corrected the error. https://t.co/K1uAhNdbqN

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 28, 2025

Holmes, who signed a three-year, $38 million deal with the Mets during the offseason, which includes an opt-out after the 2026 season, has been sharp out of the rotation for New York thus far. After not being a starter since 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 32-year-old has already made six starts; he currently has a 3-1 record with a 2.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts across 30.2 innings pitched.

The right-hander has also seen a high strikeout rate (27.5% K rate and 10.57 K/9) in his first season with the Mets, which included a career-high ten-strikeout effort against the Miami Marlins on April 8.

Five shutout innings for Clay Holmes! pic.twitter.com/uwmZKmGiXg

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

Read More: Mets' Clay Holmes assesses transition to starting pitching

Holmes' fast start with the Mets in 2025 is certainly not a good look for an Orioles team that not only lost out on the righty hurler in free agency, but has also seen their starting pitchers struggle mightily to begin the season.

Entering Monday, Baltimore's starting pitching ERA is 5.83, which is the third-worst mark in the major leagues. The Orioles are also 10-17 to begin their season, which is also the third-worst record in all of baseball. Perhaps their biggest disappointment out of their rotation has been journeyman veteran Charlie Morton, who signed a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason. In six games (five starts) thus far, the 41-year-old is 0-6 with a woeful 10.36 ERA and 2.22 WHIP across 24.1 innings pitched.

If Holmes continues to thrive as a starter for the Mets, the former reliever could look like one of the biggest steals of the offseason. Consequently, this could also be a back-breaking mistake for the Orioles if their starting pitching continues to struggle and ultimately derail their season.