"Clay Holmes remains a guy who looks unhittable" - MLB insider predicts superstar contract for Yankees reliever in free agency
The New York Yankees haven't offered a contract extension to relief pitcher Clay Holmes yet following an up-and-down campaign that saw him lose his closer role. Nevertheless, MLB insider Zachary D. Rymer believes the right-hander should receive a superstar-esque contract with another major league team if he turns up for free agency in the offseason.
Clay Holmes enjoyed an outsanding start to the 2024 season, allowing no earned runs through his first 20 innings. He made his second All-Star appearance earlier this year despite heading into the midseason break right after posting his sixth blown save of the campaign. Eventually, the 31-year-old lost his job as the Yankees' closer to Luke Weaver, who has been reliable in the role since then.
In an article for the Bleacher Report on Sunday, Zachary D. Rymer identified Clay Holmes as one of the players who could receive a massive long-term contract that would make him a superstar of the MLB. Rymer wrote:
"Holmes is still a key reliever for Aaron Boone and the Yankees in the playoffs, but he didn't exactly come into the World Series hot. He allowed runs in each of his last two appearances in the ALCS, with two coming on David Fry's walk-off in Game 3. Despite all of the above, Holmes remains a guy who looks unhittable. And there are metrics that back those optics up.
"According to Stuff+, Holmes was among the 10 nastiest pitchers who logged at least 60 innings in 2024. Specifically, he might have the best slider in the sport," Rymer added.
Clay Holmes has pitched two shutout innings for the Yankees in the World Series, allowing one hit and a hit by pitch along with two strikeouts.
"Another team might have better luck": Zachary D. Rymer on Clay Holmes
It has been a turbulent campaign for Clay Holmes, one that saw him reach great heights with his performances on the mound as well as some terrible lows.
Holmes ended the regular season with his 30th save but also racked up 13 blown opportunities Yet Zachary D. Rymer believes there will be more than a few suitors lining up to sign him to a lucrative deal in the offseason, writing:
"Another team might have better luck, either in getting Holmes to downplay his sinker or to stop throwing it entirely. Given how hard he throws (96.6 mph on average) and how nasty his breaking stuff is, he probably could be remade into a more of an archetypal power reliever."
Holmes was picked up in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He got shipped to the New York Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline and has collected 74 saves along with his two All-Star Game selections for them.