Free agent right-hander Clay Holmes appears to be close to making a decision on his next team, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports. Teams that have negotiated with the former Yankees closer have gotten the impression that he is on the verge of choosing between multiple offers, according to Stark, who added that Holmes has negotiated with “a long list of competing clubs.”

Holmes, 32 in April, spent the last three and a half seasons in the Bronx, logging 217 2/3 innings of 2.69 ERA ball. He fanned 26.6% of his opponents and limited walks to a sharp 7.7% clip along the way. Holmes also established himself as one of the game’s best groundball pitchers during this time, relying on a sizzling sinker averaging 96.5 mph to lure grounders at a rate of nearly 68%.

While Holmes got his start as a reliever in the Bronx, there are reportedly several teams interested in bringing him on board as a starting pitcher. Holmes has certainly weighed up his preferred role in free agency, especially when most of the clubs he’s spoken to are expected candidates. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported last month that the Mets are among the teams interested in seeing Holmes in the rotation. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported just a few days ago that the Phillies were interested in acquiring Holmes as a backup. While free agency usually boils down to the adage “money talks,” it would add another layer to the decision-making process if Holmes had similar offers from two competing clubs looking to use him in different roles.

In 2024, Holmes pitched 63 innings of 3.14 ERA ball with a 25.1% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate, and 65% ground ball rate. He collected 30 saves, raising his career total to 74, but also left the work to his teammate in the ninth inning Luke Weaver late in the season due to an alarming – and highly uncharacteristic – 13 blown saves during the year. In 13 postseason appearances, he pitched quite well, posting a 2.25 ERA, 25% strikeout rate, 10.4% walk rate and 53.6% grounder rate in a dozen innings. Holmes was often forced into leverage positions, as evidenced by a 3-1 record and five service games over the course of those 13 playoff games.