{"id":90386,"date":"2024-11-24T22:26:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T03:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=90386"},"modified":"2024-11-24T22:26:04","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T03:26:04","slug":"yankees-options-closer-2025-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/24\/yankees-options-closer-2025-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The Yankees Have Several Options to Consider for a Closer Next Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Yankees will once again revisit the need for a closer as next season approaches. The club maneuvered their way through save situations near the end of the season. The Yankees eventually found a reliable temporary closer option, Luke Weaver<\/a>, in the postseason. Where do they go from here?<\/span><\/p>\n

The closer may be the hardest spot to fill<\/a> on a baseball roster, especially in the Major Leagues. Fortunately for past Yankees teams, they employed probably the best closer in the game at one point, right-handed legend Mariano Rivera<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following Rivera, there were a few others, including Zach Britton<\/a>, Dellin Betances<\/a>, David Robertson<\/a>, Andrew Miller<\/a>, and current free agent<\/a> Aroldis Chapman<\/a>. Age caught up to most of them or their flame burnt out. By 2022, the Yankees trusted Clay Holmes<\/a> in the role.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Potential Options for Yankees at Closer Next Season<\/h2>\n

Ex-Closer Clay Holmes No Longer an Option\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Yankees identified the righty Holmes as closer material early on in his Yankees tenure. The reliever joined the Yankees in 2021, and had a huge run of success in 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only did he record a 7-4 record with a 2.54 ERA, but he also saved 20 games, only blowing five. His generic closer attributes and All-Star numbers earned him the late-game stopper spot, giving the Yankees plenty of confidence late in games.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, Holmes repeated his numerical success with another 24 saves (blowing three) and a 2.86 ERA. However, 2024 was the season that displayed the true colors of his capabilities. Holmes ranked 13th in MLB in saves. <\/span>He also displayed various flaws that were alarming to the Yankees, considering their position in August 2024. Blown saves were becoming a problem, especially in games that mattered. Holmes saved 30 games in 2024 but also led the league in blown saves with 13.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees quickly mitigated the situation, keeping the closer role diverse and spontaneous. Holmes was moved to a short-relief bullpen role where he appeared for one to two innings a game or on a matchup basis.\u00a0 <\/span>This was the best role for him. Now that he\u2019s hit free agency<\/a>, the Yankees likely do not have a role for him in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can Luke Weaver Be a Reliable Option Going Forward?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The 31-year-old right-hander, Luke Weaver was tapped into one of the toughest pitching roles in baseball in the highest of high-pressure spots, the postseason.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manager Aaron Boone<\/a> recognized that utilizing his bullpen in a diverse way could provide different looks throughout the opponent’s lineup. This, he thought, was beneficial, and this flipped Weaver into the closer role by nature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n