3 Yankees Who Won't Survive the Season in New York

Opening Day is fast approaching as Spring Training flies by ahead of the 2024 season. It’s the time when many teams confidently finalize their roster preparing for a trip in October. Although most of the changes took place in the offseason, the smaller decisions that take place in the spring are no less important. What prospects are going to make it to the Opening Day roster? Who will win a starter position? Who will be released or traded?

Although that becomes the main focus before Opening Day, not all decisions are perfect. Often teams make decisions in the middle of the season based on players' performances. That’s no different for the Bronx Bombers.

With prospects looking for a roster spot, decisions can be made to help support a chance for their 28th championship. Will the Opening Day roster stay the same when September goes around, or will they have to make some changes? If changes come, what players might not make it through a full season in pinstripes?

1. Clay Holmes

Being traded from Pittsburgh in 2021, Clay Holmes proved to be an asset for the Yankees’ bullpen.  He would eventually lead the charge as the closer. Depending on the outlook, 2023 was decent for the Dothan native. He ended the season with a 2.86 ERA with 24 saves. He would only complete 89 percent of his saves though, which also had him taking four losses and no wins. He became unreliable towards the end of the season, making it harder to predict if he would have a great or bad game.

This is the final year of his contract before being an unrestricted free agent. While he would end the season at age 32, he would most likely expect a decent-sized contract. With the previous inconsistency, Hal Steinbrenner wouldn’t budge on making that move. Instead of allowing him to walk, he can bring in some decent MLB-ready players or prospects. Moving Holmes allows prospects pitchers like Chase Hampton, and Will Warren to get a shot at wearing pinstripes. This would also make way for starters like Luis Gil and Clayton Beeter get a shot from a reliever role. Going with a prospect allows for control of the player for a few more seasons at a reasonable price while you can still expect some consistency from top pitching prospects.

The only way Holmes stays in Pinstripes is if he is having an all-star caliber season with consistent pitching, or if the Yankees look like they're quickly on the way to clinching a playoff spot.