Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Former Closer Predicted to Land With Rival

The New York Yankees' former lockdown closer has been predicted to sign with one of their biggest foes.

Grant Young

Oct 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the in the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
Oct 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the in the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images / Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
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Perhaps no member of the New York Yankees had more of a rollercoaster 2024 season than Clay Holmes.

The 31-year-old didn't allow a single earned run in his first 20 innings of work, looked like one of the best closers in all MLB, and made his second All-Star Game in the first half of 2024.

By mid-September, Holmes had blown a league-leading 13 saves (which was the most by a Yankee reliever since Dave Righetti in 1987) and eventually lost his closer job to Luke Weaver.

But Holmes' rollercoaster campaign didn't end there. He went on to be the Yankees' second-most valuable reliever in the 2024 playoffs, pitching in 13 of their14 postseason games and producing a 2.25 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.

This stellar success when it mattered most surely worked wonders for Holmes' free agency stock, as he became an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the past three full seasons in the Bronx.

Given that Holmes lost some favor within the Yankees' fanbase this season, it would be difficult to imagine that he's eager to return. But a December 4 article from Andrew Tredinnick and Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com predicted Holmes would stay in New York — albeit to the Yankees' cross-town rival.

"Knows how to handle the pressure here. Better served as a key setup man, but obviously capable of closing," Caldera wrote after predicting that Holmes would sign with the New York Mets.

There has even been some sentiment that Holmes (who made 4 starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates) would be converted into a starter with his next team.

Regardless of whether it's with the Yankees, the Mets, or another team, it will be fascinating to see where Holmes lands in 2025.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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