The Mets snatched a free agent away from the Yankees on Friday, but not that one.
With the baseball universe still waiting for Juan Soto to reach a decision about where he will play — presumably for the next 12-15 seasons — the Mets signed Clay Holmes to a three-year contract worth $38 million, pending a physical, as first reported by The Post’s Joel Sherman.
Holmes, a reliever for the first seven seasons of his major league career, will be converted to a starting pitcher with the Mets.
Last season, the right-hander pitched to a 3.14 ERA in 67 relief appearances for the Yankees but was removed from the closer’s role in late September after his 13th blown save.
The Yankees used Holmes in a setup role throughout the postseason, and he was solid in 12 appearances, pitching to a 2.25 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Holmes, 31, is the Mets’ second rotation addition of the offseason: Last week, the team reached an agreement with Frankie Montas (another former Yankees pitcher) on a two-year contract worth $34 million that contains an opt-out after next season.
Kodai Senga and David Peterson appear set for rotation spots, along with Holmes and Montas, heading into next season.
Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn and Jose Butto are among the other starting options, but the team is likely to look toward the market for further rotation pieces.
If Holmes doesn’t adapt to starting or the Mets have a larger bullpen need as next season progresses, there is the possibility he could return to relief as a setup option for Edwin Diaz.
There are plenty of underlying metrics for the Mets to like about Holmes.
His 30.2 swing-and-miss percentage ranked in MLB’s 84th percentile last season, according to Statcast.
And his ground-ball percentage of 64.6 was the best in the game.
Manager Carlos Mendoza’s familiarity with Holmes from their shared time in The Bronx should only help.
Such a dynamic was at play last season with Luis Severino’s arrival to help bolster the Mets rotation.
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Severino this week reached an agreement with the A’s on a three-year contract worth $67 million, and two other members of the Mets’ rotation from last season, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana, are free agents.
The top of the free-agent pitching market includes Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, but president of baseball operations David Stearns has shown little inclination to splurge on starting pitchers — the $38 million for Holmes is the largest guarantee for a Mets pitcher in Stearns’ two offseasons heading the front office.
Senga’s return from injuries that caused him to miss almost all of last regular season raises the possibility the Mets could employ a six-man rotation.
The team used that tactic at various points in order to provide extra rest for the Japanese right-hander.
Montas, on a Zoom call with reporters Friday, was asked if he favors a lengthened rotation.
“I would probably pitch better with an extra day, but I am trying to squeeze as many innings as I can, and I like to go out there every five days,” Montas said. “I like to hold myself accountable, and I kind of take pride in taking the ball every five days. … I didn’t really have a conversation with them about that. I hope I stay on the five-day schedule.”
