Could The Phillies Fill The Holmes Gap?

Clay Holmes gives me heartburn. There I said it. And with that said, I have no problem with him pitching elsewhere. So if no Holmes, then who will be there to set up presumably Luke Weaver? Well the Yankees could have some opportunities with their NL rivals from Philadelphia. And I am okay with that.

“Carlos Estévez, Jeff Hoffman, Tanner Scott. The Yanks have cast a wide net in the relief market. The hard-throwing Estévez posted a 2.45 ERA in 54 appearances for the Angels and Phillies last year, while Hoffman logged a 2.17 ERA over 68 appearances as a reliable choice in that Philly ‘pen,” reported Sports Illustrated. 

With Weaver in the closer position, there is a need for a reliable set up guy or perhaps guys. The Yankees have the opportunity to sign a premiere reliever from any of the the above but Estevez certainly is the best of the trio. “When the year ended, Philadelphia made it known that either Estevez or Hoffman would likely be on their way out. Signing both would be ideal, but with other needs on the roster, it’s tough to justify paying two of the most expensive relievers available,” reported Sports Illustrated.

But the interesting twist in all of this is that although Holmes is on the market as reliever, he could be turned into a starter. According to the New York Post, this is not as crazy as it sounds. “A few teams are inquiring about Clay Holmes transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, including the Mets, a source told The Post. Holmes has not started since 2018, his debut season with the Pirates. But he was a starter throughout his minor league tenure. Teams are more aggressively looking at relievers returning to the rotation due to recent success in that area. Kansas City’s Seth Lugo just finished third for the AL Cy Young.” And recall the success former Yankee reliever Michael King had last year as a starter with San Diego, finishing seventh for the Cy Young Award. 

So as the Winter Meetings heat up in Dallas beginning Sunday, not only will the Juan Soto sweepstakes be on, the reliever market will be ready set go as well. “Even if no trades are finalized this week, the groundwork for offseason trades is often laid at the meetings, one of the rare times that executives from all 30 clubs are in the same place at the same time,” reported MLB.com. It will be an interesting few weeks as we head into the end of the year. It is all hands on deck. And a wonder of who will be a Yankee and who will not come 2025.

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof