A familiar name has entered the trade deadline conversation, and the Yankees are right in the middle of it.
Clay Holmes, now a Mets starter and once the Yankees’ closer, drew a heavy scouting presence this week during a minor league rehab outing that suddenly carried real deadline weight. The setup was simple enough: a pitcher working back from a broken leg, a crowded list of evaluators in the stands, and a timeline that points straight at Monday’s deadline.
Holmes’ latest rehab start came Tuesday night, and two executives who watched it said he looked ready for the majors. He worked four scoreless innings on 59 pitches, a strong showing after being sidelined since mid-May with a fractured right fibula from a line drive.
The interest stretched well beyond New York. Scouts from the Yankees, White Sox, Phillies, Rays, Rangers, Dodgers and Diamondbacks were there, according to The Athletic. That kind of turnout usually tells you the league thinks a move is possible, and soon.
For the Yankees, the wrinkle is obvious. Holmes spent four seasons in the Bronx from 2021 to 2024, closing games for them before losing the job late in that final season.
Luke Weaver, the pitcher who replaced him, is now also with the Mets. So yes, the reunion talk is real, and it comes with plenty of history attached.
Holmes, 33, was also pitching well before the injury changed everything. In his first season as a starter after leaving New York, he posted a 2.39 ERA over nine starts and 52 2/3 innings, according to his 2026 statistics. That kind of production gives contenders something useful to chase, especially in a market where pitching is always at a premium.
And Holmes brings a rare mix of options. He’s been a closer, he’s been a starter, and that flexibility matters this time of year. Clubs looking for help in either the rotation or the bullpen can see a path with him.
The contract piece matters too. Holmes signed with the Yankees’ crosstown rival before the 2025 season and is scheduled to hit free agency after this year. That makes him exactly the sort of player a seller can move without worrying about the long term.
It also leaves the door open for a second act. A team that trades for him now could still try to bring him back this winter, turning a deadline pickup into a possible longer stay.
That idea has already been floated publicly. Joel Sherman of the New York Post said on “The Show,” “I would advise Steve Cohen…Clay Holmes knows we love him,” Joel Sherman of the New York Post said on “The Show.”
“We could outbid everyone. It’s kind of like what the Yankees did with Aroldis Chapman in ’16.
They traded him and then signed him that offseason.
“I think the Mets could believe that. I would at least try to do that.”
The comparison lands because the Yankees have done it before. In 2016, they dealt Chapman to the Cubs at the deadline, watched him win a title, and then brought him back that winter.
For now, Holmes’ next outing is set for Aug. 2, one day before the deadline, and it’s not yet clear whether that start will come for the Mets or somewhere else. What is clear is that the scouts have already shown up, the Yankees are among the teams paying attention, and a very familiar arm is suddenly one of the more interesting names on the board.
In Other News...
Yankees May Finally Have A Real Answer To Their Catching Problem
The Yankees search for catching help has been one of the quieter but more persistent threads of their offseason, and it may now have a real name attached to it. MLB.coms Mark Feinsand reported that Miami could be open to moving a catcher because of a logjam at the position, with New York among several clubs keeping tabs on the market as it looks for a longer-term answer behind the plate.
What makes the situation more interesting is that the fit could extend beyond a simple rental. Hicks is under team control for years to come and would give the Yankees a chance to stabilize a spot that has been in flux, while any deal would likely force them to weigh the cost of parting with pitching prospects such as Ben Hess or Henry Lalane. For a club trying to improve without emptying the system, that is the kind of decision that can shape the rest of the winter. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Made A Catcher Move That Could Cost Someone Soon
The Yankees had a nice moment behind the plate when backup catcher Ali Snchez celebrated his first major league home run, a small but memorable jolt for a roster that has been piecing together depth wherever it can. Even so, the catcher situation in the Bronx still looks unsettled, and the front office has continued to scan for help as it weighs how to balance immediate needs with the realities of roster management.
Christian Bethancourt has already been added on a minor-league deal and sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, giving the Yankees a veteran fallback if they need another option in a hurry. The bigger question is what happens next, because the club is still looking at other catching possibilities and any move to bring one in could force a tough decision on the current roster. [Read more 🡒]
A-Rods Latest Relationship Twist Has Yankees Fans Doing A Double Take
Alex Rodriguez has been turning heads again off the field, this time with a relationship that has quietly become more visible around New York. Meghan Hayden, a former Division I athlete and New York-based fitness coach with a background in exercise physiology, has been seen publicly with Rodriguez, adding another layer of curiosity for Yankees fans who have followed his post-playing life as closely as his playing days.
The latest wrinkle came around Rodriguezs 51st birthday, when Hayden shared an Instagram post that put the spotlight on the pair in a way that was hard to miss. With the two already appearing together in public and settling into a summer routine that has drawn plenty of attention, the interest now is less about whether there is something there and more about how openly they choose to move from here. [Read more 🡒]