The New York Yankees are on a downward trend, leaving the Baltimore Orioles a wide-open opportunity to take the American League’s top seed. There are various variables contributing to New York’s slump, but the late-relief crew stands out the most. To be really honest, we can place a lot of blame on one man: Clay Holmes.
New York’s closer has performed particularly poorly in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he allowed a walk-off grand slam to the Texas Rangers, his 11th blown save of the season. He is currently three saves away from breaking the all-time record for most blown saves in a season. Holmes should not be given the opportunity to shatter that record.
It is beyond evident that New York should remove Holmes from his high-level position until further notice. There is precedent — Holmes was an All-Star this season! — but the Yankees should be completely focused on winning games. Right now, Holmes is working against that goal.
This has happened to other league competitors as well. Jose Alvarado does not appear in the ninth inning for the Phillies. Craig Kimbrel isn’t finishing games for Baltimore. Nonetheless, the Yankees have firmly stuck with Holmes. Aaron Boone, for whatever reason, seemed allergic to ruffling feathers or damaging egos, which is a necessary aspect of his work. The finest managers can separate sentiments from reasoning and act on the latter.
Following Tuesday’s game, Boone refused to abandon Holmes as New York’s preferred ninth-inning weapon.
Aaron Boone can’t entirely quit Clay Holmes despite the Yankees’ slump.
Boone told reporters that the Yankees will be “creative” with the closer role in the short term, but Holmes remains in the mix.
There is an optimistic reading here — that Boone is at least opening the possibility for total change without hurting Holmes’ feelings — but, frankly, Yankees fans are more interested in coach talk right now. Holmes has botched several saves, leaving New York vulnerable in the postseason landscape. He simply cannot be part of the ninth-inning game plan, in any way.
The Yankees should play matchups. There does not need to be a single, specified closer. However, if Holmes is included in those matchups, New York risks further criticism. Boone’s decision-making has been a source of frustration throughout the season. Nobody can doubt the Yankees’ success in comparison to 2023, but Aaron Judge and Juan Soto inevitably hide a slew of weaknesses.
Boone has been a constant source of support for struggling players. Gleyber Torres is still playing second base, where he has been one of baseball’s worst defenders this season. Jazz Chisholm was forced to learn third base on the fly because Torres refused to shift positions and Boone did not press him on the issue. That is not how a competitive baseball club should function.
This will all be forgotten if the Yankees win the World Series in a few months, but it’s difficult to trust Boone’s management when the lights are on and every decision is scrutinized. Hopefully, he will take a more hardline stance on Holmes in the coming days and weeks.
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