A year ago, several pitchers who had seen most of their major league success come as relievers made surprising transitions to the starting rotation in 2024.
Two, Garrett Crochet (Chicago White Sox) and Reynaldo Lopez (Atlanta Braves), made their league's respective All-Star teams. Two others, A.J. Puk (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Jordan Hicks (San Francisco Giants), were less successful in their transitions. Yet another, Michael King (San Diego Padres) began the transition to full-time starting late in the 2023 season and found success in 2024 — suggesting a patient approach might be best for relievers who aspire to start.
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Against this backdrop, it's no wonder other teams in need of rotation are looking to find value from career relievers. Clay Holmes led the New York Yankees in saves last season (30) and hasn't started a game since 2018. Yet, according to a new report, the free agent right-hander could be in demand as a starter.
According to Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, "league sources said Holmes is listening to teams pitching him the idea of becoming a starter."
Holmes, 32, went 3-5 with a 3.14 EA in 67 relief appearances for the Yankees in 2024. He was the first-string closer the previous two seasons as well, and his 74 saves from 2022-24 rank 11th in MLB.
Top relief pitchers generally command smaller contracts in free agency than starters, and the demand for closers has generally faded as more teams adopt a closer-by-committee approach.
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Holmes rose up through the Pittsburgh Pirates' system as a starter. As a rookie in 2018, he went 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA in 11 games (four starts). He's pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since.
The Yankees resurrected Holmes' career after acquiring him in a July 2021 trade. In parts of four seasons as a Pirate, Holmes went 5-7 with a 5.57 ERA and no saves. He's gone 19-15 with a 2.69 ERA and 74 saves since.
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According to The Athletic, "Holmes' use of three pitches (sinker, slider, sweeper) has some teams interested in what he could do as a starter."
When Holmes struggled late in the season, the Yankees turned to Luke Weaver as their closer. He converted four save opportunities in the regular season, and four more in the postseason, as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009.
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