Mets taking a page out of the Braves’ playbook in free agency

As the saying goes, imitation is the highest form of flattery, and the Braves division rival in New York is trying to replicate Atlanta’s success with Reynaldo Lopez, as the Mets inked a deal with Clay Holmes.

Last offseason, Alex Anthopoulos inked Lopez, a high-leverage reliever, to a three-year, $30 million deal and shocked everyone when they made their intentions known that Lopez would be stretched out as a starter.

It couldn’t have gone better. The veteran made his first All-Star game en route to a sub-2.00 ERA effort. Had he made more starts, Lopez would’ve garnered Cy Young votes.

Clubs are now more aggressively looking to turn relievers into starters. The Braves have set a precedent, and the Mets will try to replicate what their rivals have successfully done.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old Holmes recorded a 3.14 ERA (131 ERA+) and FIP of 3.02 in 63 innings for the Yankees last year, and though he eventually lost his role as the team’s closer, he notched a career-high 30 saves.

However, the key difference between Reynaldo Lopez and Clay Holmes is that the former has experience starting games. Holmes came up through the minors as a starter and made four big-league starts in 2018, but the veteran has made none since.

At the very least, the Mets got a high-leverage bullpen arm, similar to what the Braves figured when they inked Lopez to a free agent deal last offseason. An interesting dynamic in clubs experimenting with turning relievers into starters is the fatigue.

Lopez spent time on the IL, and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be more conditioned in his second season with the Braves. With Clay Holmes, I’ll be watching whether the grind of a season weighs on his arm if the Mets try experimenting with him in the rotation.

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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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