Brian Cashman has a lot on his plate this offseason, with his biggest task being figuring out how to keep Aaron Judge with the New York Yankees. But he also has some work to do regarding New York's bullpen, and there was reason to believe that the Yankees could try to find a replacement for Clay Holmes at the backend of their bullpen after his strange 2022 season.
Holmes was electric to begin the season and ended up unexpectedly finding himself in the closer role, but he struggled down the stretch and lost save opportunities as his struggles mounted. While some expected the Yankees to explore other closing options this offseason, Cashman sounded content with Holmes, but wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility of adding to the bullpen this offseason.
“I feel really good about Clay Holmes being our closer, but that doesn’t preclude us from entertaining any outside players via trade or free agency if it makes us better.” Brian Cashman, Yahoo Sports
This quick comment from Cashman should make Holmes feel a bit better, but it still doesn't take the Yankees out of the market for more relievers. New York's bullpen struggled in the second half of the season, and while some of that was due to key arms getting injured, that doesn't mean they should ignore the position entirely this offseason.
For now, it seems like Holmes is set to remain the Yankees closer heading into the 2022 season. And while that may be true, Cashman isn't going to ignore a better option if it comes across the table. While Holmes seems to be in a good spot, it will be interesting to see whether or not the Yankees make upgrades to their bullpen this offseason.
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