Former New York Yankees Reliever Faces Intriguing Role Change with New Team

A lot of eyes will be on a former New York Yankees pitcher in spring training as he embarks on a role change.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes (35) throws during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees suffered a few major losses this offseason in free agency with players signing contracts with new teams.

All of the attention was on star right fielder Juan Soto, who ended up signing a historic deal with the New York Mets, agreeing to the largest contract in sports history.

But, he wasn’t the only key contributor from their American League-winning squad that left this winter.

The positional group that was hit the hardest was the bullpen, where multiple relievers are not returning in 2025. Four of them, Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Mayza, all hit the open market this winter.

Hill is the only one of that quartet who re-signed with the Yankees. Kahnle landed with the Detroit Tigers, Mayza joined the Pittsburgh Pirates and Holmes will be playing crosstown with Soto for the Mets.

To help offset those losses, New York made a splash by acquiring All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. He should assume the closer role that Holmes held for a majority of the last two seasons before ceding things to Luke Weaver down the stretch of 2024.

While he will no longer be donning the pinstripes, Holmes is someone that a lot of people will be watching in spring training because his new team is changing his role.

Throughout basically all of his professional career, he has been a relief pitcher. But, he was signed away in free agency by New York with the intent of making him a starting pitcher.

The last time Holmes started an MLB game was in 2018 during his rookie year with the Pirates.

That change is one reason David Adler of MLB.com has listed him as one of the 12 pitchers that are must watch this spring.

There has been no doubt about the arm talent and stuff that Holmes possesses. His sinker is as nasty as it gets with ridiculous movement and velocity. He mixes in two breaking pitches, a slider and sweeper, to keep hitters off balance.

But, consistency was an issue at times during his tenure in the Bronx.

That is what makes him such a polarizing subject in spring training.

“Can he keep that stuff at the same level, or at least close to it, as he attempts to throw a lot more innings in a starting role with the Mets?” wrote Adler.

It will be interesting to see how the change will impact Holmes, who was an All-Star in 2024 and came into his own with the Yankees the last 3.5 seasons as a relief pitcher.

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