Former New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes is linked to the Toronto Blue Jays vacant closing role.
Holmes is a pending free agent and will have plenty of teams interested in him. Even though he lost the Yankees closer’s job before the playoffs, he pitched well down the stretch to rebuild his value.
With the Blue Jays’ non-tendering closer Jordan Romano, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Ahletic believes Holmes would be a logical fit to be Toronto’s closer.
“A late bloomer, Holmes went from a middle reliever with a 5-plus career ERA in 2021 to a legitimate closer for the New York Yankees in about three years,” McGrath wrote about Holmes as a potential option for the Jays closer. “The 31-year-old Holmes, ranked 27th on The Athletic’s Big Board. Has 74 career saves and a 2.69 ERA since joining the Yankees. He has been prone to some ups and downs. Still, and he notably lost his closer job late in the 2024 season. But Holmes and his sinker-sweeper mix rebounded in the postseason and ending the season on a strong note should help his free agency case. Additionally, the Blue Jays may value his experience in the AL East.”
Holmes would make sense for the Blue Jays as Toronto will add at least two relievers to fix their bullpen. Even if Holmes doesn’t win the closer’s job, he could be a set-up man for Chad Green.
Holmes had a 3.14 ERA in 2024 and went 30 for 43 on save opportunities.
Blue Jays Non-Tender Closer
Toronto has a need at the backend of their bullpen following the news they non-tendered Jordan Romano.
Romano missed the second half of the 2024 season recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery and he’s still recovering from the injury.
The Canadian was a fan-favorite in Toronto. But due to the injury and the fact he was projected to make $7.75 million, the Blue Jays decided to move off of him.
Romano went 20-17 for 2.90 ERA and 105 saves in his career with the Blue Jays.
What is Yankees’ Holmes Expected to Get in Free Agency?
Despite losing his closer’s job, Holmes is expected to get a multi-year deal in free agency.
MLBTradeRumors released its annual Top 50 free agent predictions, and they had Holmes signing a three-year $30 million deal.
“Holmes will turn 32 just prior to Opening Day next year,” the article read. “Age, paired with an uncharacteristically shaky showing in save settings, won’t do his earning potential any favors. There are some parallels with Taylor Rogers. Another closer with a nice track record who experienced some out-of-character struggles in his platform year despite maintaining terrific rate stats.
“Rogers got three years and $33MM from the Giants (the same figure given to Robert Stephenson based on three quarters of a season of dominance last winter),” the article added. “A three-year pact should still be there for Holmes. Though it seems unlikely to come from the Yankees after his tumultuous season. Other big-money clubs with needs in the bullpen will be interested, though.”
Holmes is a two-time All-Star and would be a key late-inning reliever in any team’s bullpen.
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