NEW YORK -- Mets right-hander Clay Holmes took a significant step forward in his return from a fractured fibula Thursday when he threw 51 pitches over 2⅓ innings in his first rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse. He will likely make another rehab start before he comes off the injured list to pitch in a major league game for the first time since mid-May.
Chances are it won't be in a Mets uniform, and he knows it.
Holmes is one of several veterans the Mets have made available in trade talks ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, sources told ESPN, with their playoff chances down the drain after four disastrous months. The right-hander, who had a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before his injury, will not have a shortage of suitors positioning themselves for October.
"I just want to be pitching my best, whether that's here or somewhere else, these last two months," Holmes said Friday before the Mets' 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "And I just need to be locked in on just the things I can do on the mound."
Friday was supposed to have been the start of a marquee three-game series between two World Series contenders with the most expensive rosters in baseball. Instead, it's two franchises going in opposite directions. The Dodgers are cruising into October to compete for their third consecutive World Series title. The Mets are preparing for a long offseason without a postseason for the second consecutive year and fielding endless questions about their imminent midseason makeover.
"This season didn't go as we anticipated," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Friday. "It's extremely disappointing. I am extremely disappointed that we are in this situation. But I am also very aware we are in this situation. It's my job to do what's in the best interest of the organization right now."
That will likely include trading Holmes, who signed a three-year, $38 million contract with a player option for 2027 before last season to convert from an All-Star reliever to a starter. It's proven to be one of the club's shrewdest acquisitions during Stearns' tenure -- so shrewd that Holmes should command a significant haul from a contender seeking starting pitching.
Holmes, 33, has a $12 million player option for the 2027 season that he will undoubtedly decline for a bigger payday, essentially making him an impending free agent. He has expressed interest in signing a contract extension with the Mets, but he indicated Friday that talks have not progressed.
"I don't think there's been a ton there," Holmes said. "I think it's just one of those situations where there's a few different scenarios that the team can go. And I think it really boils down to what the team thinks is best for the organization now, long term."
Holmes described his situation -- rehabbing to return to potentially pitch for another team -- as "unique." The Mets could, theoretically, trade Holmes and re-sign him in the offseason. A third option exists for the Mets besides trading or extending him: keeping Holmes through the end of the season and giving him the qualifying offer in November. But Holmes would likely decline it, leaving the Mets with only a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round if he signs elsewhere.
Stearns reiterated Friday that the Mets, one of the few teams that have said they will look to unload players at the deadline, intend to position themselves for a postseason berth in 2027. Accomplishing that requires a balance between maximizing value at the trade deadline and keeping enough talent to compete next season. The only players explicitly unavailable in trade talks, according to sources, are NL MVP candidate Juan Soto, rookie outfielders A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, right-handers Nolan McLean and Christian Scott, and shortstop Francisco Lindor.
"I'm not going to rule out or in any specific player on anything," Stearns said. "I don't think that's wise for me to do. What I will say is we've got a group of young players and we've got some potential future Hall of Famers that we view as our core, and we expect them to be our core."
The Mets are expected to trade their four players slated for free agency -- right-hander Freddy Peralta, outfielder Tyrone Taylor, and left-handers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter. Center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who has a $20 million club option for next season, could also be on the move after recently returning from a back injury that cost him nearly three months.
Luke Weaver, one of the best relievers in the majors this season, is under contract through next season and could fetch a high price on the trade market. Right-hander Huascar Brazobán, who has been among the best relievers in baseball at inducing soft contact, and catchers Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens might also draw interest.
Third baseman Bo Bichette is batting .321 with an .841 OPS since June 3 and could be attractive because there aren't many top-tier right-handed hitters available this trade deadline, but his contract complicates matters; the two-time All-Star is slated to make $42 million each of the next two seasons, but he can opt this winter or after the 2027 season. If he opts out, he would receive $5 million, paid in $1 million installments from 2036 to 2040.
Whomever the Mets trade, Stearns said he is not targeting particular position groups or proximity to the majors in potential returns. For now, he's waiting as several teams decide whether to add for this season or pivot to the future.
"I think there's, in general, throughout the industry, a pretty robust conversation and chatter right now," Stearns said. "It's always difficult to characterize the exact level of interest, especially this [far] out. But there's lots of discussion. There are lots of conversations. I'm sure that's going to continue right up until the deadline."