New York Yankees Former Closer Named X-Factor For Crosstown Rivals

Will a former New York Yankees star be the X-factor for the crosstown rivals this season?

Feb 27, 2025; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Clover Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With the start of the regular season almost here for the New York Yankees, there are major concerns about the health of the team going into the new campaign. 

This winter, the Yankees did a solid job of revamping the team into a well-balanced roster. 

Last year, New York felt a bit dependent on Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to carry them, and while that worked with a World Series appearance, it felt like the team was flawed. 

This offseason, the Yankees saw a couple of notable players leave in free agency, including Soto. The talented star went to the New York Mets, but he wasn’t the only member to leave for their crosstown rival. 

Closer and late-inning reliever Clay Holmes also signed with the Mets, but rather than staying as a high-leverage relief pitcher, the plan was to turn him into a starting pitcher. 

This has been a growing trend in recent years for some bullpen arms, and Holmes will be the next pitcher to attempt to stretch out and become a starting pitcher. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about the former Yankees star being the X-factor for the Mets this coming season. 

“Yet because of injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas and Kodai Senga's own injury history, a successful transition for Holmes is suddenly more necessity than luxury.”

While the initial thought of transitioning Holmes into a starter might have been something the franchise was going to work on over the course of spring training and into the early part of the year, they now need him to be an effective starter right away. 

Like the Yankees, the Mets have also had their fair share of injuries to the starting rotation.

Now, Holmes is going to be asked to be a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher right from the start, which will put a lot of pressure on him to perform. 

As a relief pitcher in 2024, the right-hander pitched well with a 3-5 record, 3.14 ERA and 30 saves. 

The thought was always that if being a starter didn’t work out for the 31-year-old, the Mets could just move him back into the bullpen where he has been successful. However, they are now a team that lacks starting pitching and needs him to be effective when starting games. 

Time will tell if this move pays off for the Mets, but early indications in spring training have been good thus far.

The former relief pitcher for the Yankees is certainly going to be an X-factor for the crosstown rival in 2025, something that could prove to be a tough loss if he performs well.