New Year, new Clay Holmes. The Mets’ newest pitching acquisition is already undergoing a transformation of sorts with his new team. Tuesday afternoon on a Zoom call, the right-hander was sporting a beard,

Holmes signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets on Dec. 16. The intention is for the right-hander who’ll be 32 years old at the start of the season to convert from a reliever to a starter. On Tuesday, the two-time All-Star revealed the genesis of the idea.

After hitting free agency, Clay Holmes will realize his hope of returning as a starter with the Mets after signing a three-year deal.