The Yankees have a knack for building bullpens with arms that other teams have no use for — or that New York sees potential in and develops — and Clay Holmes is a perfect example.
In three-plus seasons with the Pirates, Holmes was predominantly used as a setup man, having just four save opportunities while recording 13 holds over 116 appearances. The Yankees traded for Holmes in 2021 and after posting a 4.93 ERA with Pittsburgh, the right-hander excelled in the Bronx, pitching to a 1.61 ERA across 25 games as a bridge to Aroldis Chapman.
Holmes won the closer’s role in April 2022 and earned his first All-Star appearance. He finished the year with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP while closing 20 games out of 25 opportunities. Holmes was just as effective in 2023 before struggling this past season and eventually losing his closer’s role by the end of the year.
Like many of the Yankees who are free agents this offseason, Holmes has had an up-and-down career in pinstripes but now that he’s a free agent, should New York bring him back?
Why it could make sense to let Holmes go
Holmes has always felt like a reliever who is more suited for a setup role than as a closer. Despite his great numbers and All-Star selections, Holmes — especially in recent years — has faltered when the game has mattered most.
After blowing eight saves in his first two full seasons with the Yankees, Holmes would blow 13(!) saves in 2024, which led to him being moved to the middle of the bullpen. He finished with a 3.14 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, both of which were his highest since 2021 when he started with the Pirates.
The issue with Holmes is his lack of strikeouts. He struck out 68 batters in 63.0 innings pitched this season and relies heavily on the ground ball. But when your defense is as maligned as the Yankees’ is, especially in the infield, that is a recipe for disaster. While the defensive lapses behind him doesn’t fall on Holmes, his stuff just isn’t suited for a high-leverage role especially if he’s asked to come in with runners on base.
Heading into his age-32 season, Holmes’ strikeouts will likely continue to decrease over time, and if he’s looking for closer money the Yankees should look elsewhere. Again, GM Brian Cashman does know how to build a bullpen, and with Luke Weaver back in 2025 they won’t need Holmes to be their closer anymore.
Why it could make sense to bring Holmes back
The Yankees should only bring Holmes back if he’s willing to take a short-term deal to be a middle reliever — that’s it.
Holmes has proven that he can be valuable for this team, but under the right circumstances. Give him a clean inning in the seventh or eighth and he’ll flourish as we saw oftentimes once he moved out of the closer’s role.
Since he lost his closer’s role after allowing four runs in the Yankees’ loss to the Texas Rangers, Holmes was much more effective. He allowed just two runs over eight innings the rest of the regular season, dropping his ERA from 3.27 to 3.14.
He was also great in the early rounds of the playoffs this season.
He allowed no runs on three hits and two walks in his first six appearances (6.2 IP) before back-to-back poor outings against the Guardians in Game 4 and 5. However, in the World Series, he allowed just four baserunners (one hit, two walks, on HBP) across 4.1 innings pitched in the five-game series against the Dodgers. He even struck out six batters.
The right-hander was a big part of why the Yankees bullpen was nails in the postseason and it could be the same again in 2025 if Holmes is used the right way. He also has the experience to close games if Weaver is unavailable, which is huge in a 162-game season.
Verdict
You may be surprised, and Yankees fans will likely hate this, but bringing back Holmes is the play.
For the right price, Holmes to set up Weaver just feels right and will help solidify a bullpen that could potentially lose Tommy Kahnle, Tim Hill, and Lou Trivino to free agency.
