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Clay Holmes Is a Free Agent Arm the A's Should Be Chasing
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- Clay Holmes Is a Free Agent Arm the A's Should Be Chasing
(Peter Aiken-Imagn Images)
Clay Holmes may just be the perfect free agent for the Athletics to focus on this offseason.
The 33-year-old right-hander is at an age where a long-term deal isn't going to be expected, but the areas he excels in are also what the A's are after as they look to continue building up the pitching staff.
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Tim Britton of The Athletic is projecting Holmes to receive a three-year, $57 million deal this winter, while MLB Trade Rumors projects a three-year, $45 million contract in his future. That's a reasonable free agent price tag for these A's to address a big area of need.
Given the A's recent history of handing out contracts, that fit appears to be in the team's comfort range. Brent Rooker (five years, $60 million), Lawrence Butler (seven years, $65.5 million), Jacob Wilson (seven years, $70 million), and Tyler Soderstrom (seven years, $86 million) are the extensions handed out the past two years, while the team declined the options for Jeffrey Springs ($15 million) and Jeff McNeil ($15.75 million) at the beginning of the offseason.
On Fair Territory this week, Ken Rosenthal even mentioned Holmes as an example of the type of pitcher the A's could land this winter.
"Clay Holmes is a guy, he's a little older, he may not command the extra year on the market, but as the Athletics, we're gonna pay him," Rosenthal said. "We're gonna give him an extra year. Give him maybe a higher AAV than he might have gotten otherwise, and you try to entice him that way."
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The thought here is that the three or four years give a pitcher like Holmes an incentive to sign with the club and pitch one season in Sacramento, with the new ballpark in Las Vegas expected to be around the corner in 2028.
Why Clay Holmes?
While the new front office with Taylor Smith and Cam Castro will be focused on building up the structures for a development system, that will take time to bear fruit. Signing Holmes this offseason gives the A's another solid veteran arm to rely upon as the build for Vegas continues.
One of the ways they can target arms would be grabbing guys that hold elite ground-ball rates, and that is where Holmes fits with the A's. The club plays in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in MLB, and with the elevation in Las Vegas, it's unknown how that park will play as well. Keeping the ball on the ground and playing good infield defense will be important for the A's to have success in the near future.
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The first seven years of his big-league career were spent in relief, before the New York Mets signed him to a three-year, $38 million contract with that third year being a player option worth $12 million in 2027. He declined that option at the start of free agency and is now a free agent.
As a starting pitcher these past two seasons, Holmes has combined for a 3.44 ERA (3.93 FIP), while his ground-ball rate ranked in the 99th percentile in 2026. He's not afraid of contact with a 4.4% barrel rate that sits in the 93rd percentile, and that is something he could help bring to the A's staff, as a number of arms have gotten away from pitching in the zone for fear of getting tagged.
He's not a huge strikeout guy (18.6% in 2026), and his walk rate has sat at 10.1% in his career, but he's still posted results at every step along the way with a career 3.59 ERA.
While Luis Severino picked up his $22 million player option for 2027, it's the final year he's under contract with the club. Holmes could serve as that veteran presence in the rotation in 2028.
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A's Rotation with Holmes
Following J.T. Ginn's breakout in 2026, he will be in one of the top two positions, while adding Holmes would improve the team's starting rotation depth considerably.
1. Ginn
2. Holmes
3. Severino
4. Gage Jump
5. Jacob Lopez
From there, the A's could have Jack Perkins in the minors ready in case of injury or underperformance in the rotation, or they could even use him in the bullpen. Holmes could also serve as a bit of a mentor to Perkins, as someone that has also been in both the bullpen and the rotation and found success.
Left-hander Jamie Arnold is the A's No. 3 prospect and figures to be in the mix for a promotion to the big-league roster at some point in 2027.
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Those top seven provide some interesting options for the A's heading into 2027 with Holmes in the mix and also have some injury insurance built in just in case another wave of injuries follows the club like the 2026 campaign.
Luis Medina is an option to make the return back to a starting role, while Kade Morris, Mason Barnett, Braden Nett, Luis Morales and Gunnar Hoglund all provide some level of depth for the club.
Holmes' ground-ball rate fits what the A's need perfectly, while the team should also have no problem paying the righty somewhere in the three-year, $65 million range if the A's want to overpay for three years. They could also offer something closer to perhaps four years and $75 million for more guaranteed money, but a lower AAV.
