Ex-Yankees reliever turning heads as a starter at Mets spring training

In his most recent spring start against the Washington Nationals, Holmes pitched into the fourth inning, allowing just one hit while striking out eight batters. As the reliever-turned-starter progressively builds his pitch count and innings, it appears he's getting better with each outing. 

Overall, the soon-to-be 32-year-old has 13 strikeouts through 9.2 scoreless spring frames. Of course, those stats should be taken with a grain of salt given the contests are merely exhibition at this stage.

Nonetheless, these early results are exactly what the Mets wanted to see out of the veteran Holmes, who inked a three-year, $38 million contract with New York during the offseason. The move, criticized at first as a maneuver to avoid paying an ace-level hurler like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried (as Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns is notorious for practicing), is now looking like a potential steal of a signing by Stearns and owner Steve Cohen. 

At worst, if the transition to starter doesn't ultimately work in the Mets' favor, Holmes has plenty of experience in late-inning relief after spending 3.5 seasons with the Yankees, where he pitched to a 2.69 ERA over 220 games played, including 74 saves and two All-Star appearances. 

However, given some early injuries to other Mets starters in camp and the lack of depth behind them, Holmes' early success could loom large for the Mets as they open the season shorthanded from a pitching standpoint.