Did New York Yankees Hint at Replacing Clay Holmes?

New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes suffered his MLB-leading 11th blown save on Tuesday.

Sep 2, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Tuesday night in Arlington brought yet another tough loss for the New York Yankees. 

With a 4-3 lead entering the bottom of the ninth, Yankees manager Aaron Boone called on Clay Holmes for his 40th save opportunity of the 2024 season. Holmes recorded the first out but then faltered, allowing a single and losing his command. He issued consecutive walks to Josh Smith and Marcus Semien, loading the bases. The first walk came after missing a 3-2 slider, while the second occurred after throwing four straight balls to Semien despite getting ahead 0-1. 

Facing 2023 No. 4 overall pick Wyatt Langford, Holmes hung a slider on a full-count, and the rookie punished it into the left-field seats for a walk-off grand slam. It marked Holmes’ first blown save in two weeks and his MLB-leading 11th of the season. The 7-4 defeat dropped the Yankees out of first place in the AL East, putting the Baltimore Orioles a half-game ahead and relegating New York to a Wild Card spot. 

When asked whether the team might consider a change in the closer role, Boone refrained from making any commitments fresh off a difficult loss. 

“I’m not going to answer that right now when we’re raw and emotional,” Boone told reporters. “We’ll talk through it and do what we think is the best thing.” 

Boone acknowledged that Holmes struggled with his command on Tuesday but said he didn't consider pulling him due to Holmes' ability to induce ground balls and his knack for getting out of jams. 

Holmes reflected on his performance, expressing that while he feels he's thrown well overall in 2024, Tuesday's outing was a clear exception. He cited a loss of feel for his sinker and a rushed delivery among other factors contributing to his struggles. 

"There’s been times I’ve thrown well and gotten beat. Obviously, tonight was one of those where I didn’t throw very well,” Holmes told reporters. “Wasn’t very good at all and definitely didn’t deserve to come out on top the way I was throwing…the execution wasn’t there at all. It was pretty poor tonight.” 

Despite Holmes’ struggles finishing close games, his overall numbers are not terrible. The 31-year-old right-hander entered Tuesday’s game with the second-highest ground-ball rate among relievers, along with a 3.27 ERA and an impressive 2.91 FIP over 55 innings. However, his inability to close out games is evident, having converted just 29 of his 40 save opportunities, leading MLB in blown saves— well ahead of other struggling closers like Craig Kimbrel and David Bednar, who have each blown six saves in 29 chances. 

The closer role was a concern for many as the trade deadline approached, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did not share that worry. After the deadline, Cashman expressed confidence in Holmes, telling reporters he was not looking to replace him. Instead, he acquired high-strikeout relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos to fill out their bullpen. However, neither acquisition has panned out as hoped—Leiter Jr. has posted a 6.08 ERA with the Yankees, while De Los Santos was DFA’d after allowing 10 runs on 13 hits over just 6.1 innings. 

With the trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, the Yankees can only explore internal options if they decide to move Holmes out of the closer role. Luke Weaver has been one of New York’s most effective relievers, posting a 3.33 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 54 appearances, though he has yet to record a save in his nine-year career. Jake Cousins, with a 12.3 K/9 rate, fits the profile of a potential closer but has only one career save. Tommy Kahnle, the most experienced option with seven career saves, has been effective this season with a 2.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 36 innings. 

Boone left the door open to a possible change but also conveyed strong belief in Holmes, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

"I think he handles all this very well, and he’s tough-minded for it,” Boone said. “Some tough ones here of late, and we’ve got to support him and make sure he’s right and a big part of what we’re doing back there. ... We have options down there and we’ll consider everything."