The New York Yankees made a total of three moves at the midseason trade deadline. INF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr, RHP Mark Leiter Jr, and RHP Enyel De Los Santos happened to be the Bombers’ only acquisitions at the mid-skid deadline. While the front office was in the market for a closer, a deal couldn’t materialize.
Hence, the New York Yankees were forced to stuck with Clay Holmes. Holmes had a terrific start to the season and even made it to All-Star before a regression hit in June. Regardless, Yankee captain Aaron Judge and general manager Brian Cashman reaffirmed their belief and faith in the acclaimed closer.
Aaron Judge Hits Out At Clay Holmes Critics
The New York Yankees escaped a late jam to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies at the Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. With bases loaded in the eighth inning, Tanner Banks got a strikeout to retire the innings. Meanwhile, Clay Holmes, who blew up a save the other night, pitched a scoreless ninth inning to lift Yanks to a 6-5 victory. Having said that, the save was important for Holmes as he was under fire for blowing up five of seven save opportunities since mid-June. While he was named on the AL All-Star roster, the Yanks were expected to replace him with a trade upgrade. However, a trade couldn’t materialize, and hence the team backed Holmes.
Notably, Clay Holmes had an outstanding start to the year with a 20-game scoreless streak before falling off the bandwagon. Regardless, Yankees captain Aaron Judge backed him and said, “That’s our closer. I really don’t care what anybody else has to say.” Needless to say, Holmes was overwhelmed and grateful to have his captain’s support. “It means a lot for my teammates to have my back there,” Holmes said. He added that he couldn’t control tough situations during the slump. He is a closer who relies on groundballs, but that certainly didn’t go his way on many occasions. Hitters had enough success against Holmes’ sinkers, which turned his life miserable. However, Wednesday’s save was a moment of redemption for Clay Holmes as he looks forward to repaying the team and management’s faith.
Yankees GM Reveals Trading A Closer Was Never On Cards
In an interesting revelation, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman disclosed that trading a closer was never in his plan as he entered the market to acquire good talent. He trusts and rates Clay Holmes highly despite the incessant criticism. “I think Clay is an exceptional, high-end reliever, one of the better ones in the game. I’m a fan of Clay Holmes,” Cashman said.
Brian Cashman added that he is comfortable with Clay Holmes being the New York Yankees’ everyday closer and, hence, they didn’t make a move for an upgrade at the trade deadline. As for the struggles, the relief pitcher has been highly unlucky, believes Cashman. Moreover, with a significant phase of the season still left on the cards, the general manager expects Holmes to come around.
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