Value of Key Mets Starter Is Likely Lowered By Gausman Trade

The New York Mets are riding the roller coaster when it comes to ever-shifting value of the trade market, with the trade value of Toronto starter Kevin Gausman affecting what they’re expecting to get for rehabbing starter Clay Holmes, according to a report from Tim Britton of The Athletic. 

It’s a complicated story, so let’s start with the simple part, which is Holmes’ ongoing performance. He’s been making a series of rehab starts as he continues to recover from a broken leg, and he made a start for High-A Brooklyn yesterday in which Holmes made definite progress. 

He worked into the sixth inning and allowed four runs, three earned, whil striking out three. The Mets allowed him to do this despite the injury risk, and after yesterday’s game against the Miami Marlins, interim manager Andy Green indicated that his next start would be in a major league uniform. Green didn’t say which one, of course. 

Now for the complicated part. The acquisition of Tarik Skubal opened the door for the trades involving Gausman and Freddy Peralta, but the Gausman return was smaller than expected. That could lower Holmes’ value, although we won’t know by how much until later today. 

Holmes also lands in a different group of starters, Britton added, that includes Casey Mize of the Detroit Tigers and Foster Griffin of the Washington Nationals. The Los Angeles Angels also have a say in this given that they’ve already traded starter Jose Soriano and could move left-hander Reid Detmers before the end of the day. 

Some of this is just the normal ebb and flow of a deadline day. A lot of the initial asks for starters were characterized as ridiculously high, but with the end of deadline day now hours away, teams want to move their players. Think of it as a game of musical chairs where no one wants to get stuck without a seat. 

Holmes had a lot of value until May, when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Spencer Jones of the New York Yankees and fractured his right fibula. He was pitching well then, but the injury lowered his value, and so did the fact that he has a player option for next year, which basically makes him a rental. 

This will have an impact on the Mets’ haul for individual trades, but it won’t have a huge effect overall. The Mets are restocking their farm system for next year, and quality is probably slightly more important than quality right now.