The New York Yankees parted ways with several prominent players after reaching the World Series. Among them, Juan Soto and long-serving roster members found new teams. Notably, two-time All-Star Clay Holmes joined Soto at the New York Mets, the Yankees’ city rivals.

After achieving a personal best of 30 saves with the Yankees last season and eventually losing the closer position to Luke Weaver during the playoffs, Holmes signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets to transition into a starting pitcher. This season, he’s maintained an impressive 2.95 ERA with 39 strikeouts across seven starts.

In a recent interview with Bob Nightengale from USA Today, Holmes explained his decision to leave the Yankees, admitting that while they showed some interest in keeping him, they never offered him a starting role. Nightengale noted, “The Yankees, who developed Holmes into one of the premier closers, never mentioned the possibility of him becoming a starter.”

They had minimal discussions with him in the offseason, focusing solely on his role as a reliever. Holmes remarked that even as he excelled as a top reliever and began showcasing a starter’s repertoire, the Yankees might be surprised by his success in this new capacity. “There were jokes about it last year, but that’s all they were,” Holmes shared with Nightengale.

“I started experimenting with a change-up during bullpen sessions, and soon I was using five different pitches. People would joke, saying, ‘You should be starting with all these pitches,’ but it was never more than a joke.” With Holmes thriving in his new role for the Mets and the Yankees grappling with ongoing rotation issues, missing the opportunity to convert Holmes might be a regrettable oversight in the Bronx.