Over his career as a reliever, Holmes has a 3.52 ERA and is a two-time All-Star.

A handful of other teams beyond the Mets were interested in Holmes as a starter, league sources said. Holmes’ three pitches (sinker, slider, sweeper) and his stuff lead to a ton of ground balls. Holmes has thrown at least 60 innings in each of the past four seasons but has never logged more than 70, his total in 2021.

After signing Frankie Montas earlier this week, club sources said that the Mets remained interested in adding multiple other starting pitchers.