Of all the available free agents, Clay Holmes had perhaps the most puzzling season of 2024. For starters, he seemed untouchable. Finally, he lost the favor of Yankees skipper Aaron Boone and was relegated to a lesser role as the team headed to the World Series. Such is the life of a relief pitcher, the most notoriously fickle position in MLB.

For the better part of three Major League seasons, Holmes was one of the best closers in the sport. Previously a ninth-round pick with the Pirates, he was traded to the Yankees in 2021 after failing to make an impact in Pittsburgh. He immediately blossomed in the Bronx, posting a 1.61 ERA in 28.0 innings pitched after his arrival. For reference, he had pitched an ERA of 5.57 over 119 ²⁄₃ innings over parts of four seasons with the Pirates.

This change of scenery proved beneficial for his future Major League prospects, as he began to shine in his new location. After an impressive performance in 2021, he took over the role of closer in May 2022 when Aroldis Chapman landed on the injured list. It was a role he wouldn’t relinquish — well, until last season — when the right-hander set the franchise record by making 29 consecutive scoreless relief appearances, surpassing Mariano Rivera’s mark set in 1999. Holmes earned his first All Star Game nod in 2022 and finished the year with a 1.4 bWAR, a 2.54 ERA, a 2.84 FIP and a 1.02 WHIP, recording 20 saves (in 25 chances) while strikeouts 65 and walks 20 in 63 ²⁄₃ innings. He followed that up by posting a career-best 1.8 bWAR, a 2.86 ERA, a 2.65 FIP and a 1.18 WHIP in 2023, while saving 24 games (in 27 opportunities), striking out 71 and making 23 fours. pitched wide in 63 innings pitched.

His 2024 was much more of a mixed bag than his previous two seasons. He started off with a bang, pitching well into May before allowing his first earned run. He allowed three unearned runs in a blown save on April 3, but he wouldn’t allow his first earned runs (four, to be exact) until May 20. That bumped his era up from a flawless 0.00 to a still-flashy 1.74. He lasted almost a full month until allowing his next two earned runs on June 13 – again, increasing his ERA from 1.23 to 1.80 – but from that point on, things began to unravel for Holmes.

As of June 13, he pitched to a 4.81 ERA, a 3.73 FIP and a 1.37 WHIP with 39 strikeouts (26.5% K%) and 14 walks (9.5% BB%) across 33 countries. ²⁄₃ innings. He finished the year with 13 saves in the league, including 10 in the last 37 games. He relinquished the closer’s role on September 3 after a botched save for the Rangers, which culminated in a walk-off grand slam. He pitched respectfully after the relegation and in the postseason.

He did some of his best work in the postseason as the team reached the World Series. He pitched in each of the team’s four games against the Royals, scattering three hits and walking one while striking out three in five innings. His ALCS performance against the Guardians was a bit more turbulent, as he served up David Fry’s walk-off two-run homer in Game 3 and gave up another run in Game 4. In all, he gave up three earned runs in 2. ²⁄₃ innings, while allowing four hits, walking two and striking out three. He was at his best in the World Series against the Dodgers, appearing in all five games of the Fall Classic and throwing four ¹⁄₃ shutout innings. He gave up just one hit in the series, while walking two and striking out six. He also picked up the Yankees’ only win in the series.

There’s a good chance Holmes will find a new home this season, especially with Luke Weaver emerging as closer for the Yankees toward the end of the season, and there hasn’t been much talk about Holmes potentially returning to the Bronx. Holmes will likely draw some interest as a closer, but could also look for opportunities in a setup role, where he would need to land so the Mets would explore signing him.

Currently, Fangraphs’ Median Crowdsource number estimates that Holmes will get a two-year deal with an AAV of $10 million. As we’ve seen this winter — and we’ve seen dating back to last offseason — Stearns typically likes to focus on volume when bringing in relievers, adding multiple pitchers to compete for available spots.

As such, it’s unclear if Holmes will be on their radar, but given his success in New York over the past few seasons, they should (and likely will) do their due diligence on the two-time All Star. Edwin Díaz is assured of the closer’s role in 2025 and beyond, but the team doesn’t have many established options behind him and will need to acquire some reliable weapons this winter to compete with the relievers currently added to the roster. With his track record, prominence as a pitcher in New York and his solid postseason performance, Holmes could be one of those potential guys.