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The ending of Clay Holmes‘ relationship didn’t go as planned, but it’s important to view his time with the New York Yankees as much more than a few bad months. Holmes struggled mightily for parts of the second half, but when he’s at his best, the right-hander has some of the best stuff in Major League Baseball.
Had he performed better down the stretch, a reunion with the All-Star would’ve made sense. Contending teams like the Yankees can always use lockdown relievers, which Holmes once was.
Instead, it looks likely that he’ll play for a different club in 2025.
Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media believes he “likely” won’t be back in 2025, adding that he needs a change of scenery.
“Clay Holmes has the most complicated legacy I’ve seen for a player on the Yankees in a while, even surpassing the previously mentioned Gleyber Torres,” Garcia wrote on November 8. “Objectively speaking, he has been one of the best relievers in baseball since the Yankees stole him from the Pirates in an incredible trade, but his poor play in high leverage made him an easy target to blame for the team’s struggles over the summer.
“They weren’t completely unjustified, a -1.67 WPA from your closer would be damaging enough to derail your season, but many games were blown on slow rollers and other nonsense.”
Holmes’ Struggles Led to His Expected Departure
The New York Yankees have never been afraid to pay players, and Holmes looked to be next in line to get a decent-sized contract.
In his three full seasons with the Yankees, Holmes posted a 2.85 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 145 ERA+, and struck out 204 hitters in 189 2/3 innings. Those are all above-average figures and should help get him paid.
Despite that, Zach Pressnell of FanSided doesn’t believe it’ll be with the Yankees, predicting the team will let him walk this winter.
“Clay Holmes was one of, if not the top reliever in the game of baseball for a good majority of the first half of the season. Holmes was otherworldly dominant up until a few weeks before the All-Star break. And when the wheels fell off for Holmes, they really fell off,” Pressnell wrote on October 30.
“On June 9, Holmes notched his 19th save, lowering his season ERA to 1.23 alongside just three blown saves. Over the course of the next few months, Holmes would see his ERA rise to 3.32 by Sept. 11.”
Holmes Could Switch Roles
There was once a time when Holmes wasn’t a reliever. By the time he joined the New York Yankees, he was already a full-time reliever, but Holmes was once a starting pitcher.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, clubs have shown interest in Holmes as a potential starter. If teams believe Holmes profiles as a long-term starter, even if it’s just for spot starts, his value could be higher than initially believed.
“A few teams are inquiring about Clay Holmes transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, including the Mets, a source told The Post.
“Holmes has not started since 2018, his debut season with the Pirates,” Sherman wrote on December 2. “But he was a starter throughout his minor league tenure.”
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