5 reunions the Yankees absolutely cannot pursue during 2024-25 offseason

Clay Holmes

Clay Holmes is a very good relief pitcher. Clay Holmes has been wildly misused by the Yankees and it's time for him to find another team. Both things can be true, and we wish the Yankees just would have been smarter with him after compiling evidence over the last three years.

Holmes, since 2022, has proven to completely melt down during the second half of the season. The Yankees learned that the hard way in 2022, 2023 and 2024, never once opting to sit back and think "hey, doesn't this look like a trend?". Instead, in 2024, they let him blow the most saves in MLB before removing him from the closer role and acting like it was some momentous move beyond comprehension. After that, they didn't dial back his high-leverage performances, and he continued to struggle.

Finally, he settled in nicely as an option in the fifth and sixth inning. Any time he was brought in the seventh or later it was usually a disaster, but manager Aaron Boone was addicted to watching fans rip their hair out when Holmes couldn't locate his stuff or handle an especially stressful situation.

Holmes might've ended 2024 with respectable numbers (3.14 ERA, 3.02 FIP and 1.30 WHIP), but it wsa a tale of two seasons. He was spotless during the first two months of the year and then completely unraveled. He is not consistent and he isn't reliable as a late-inning bullpen arm.

If the Yankees want to use him in that fifth-/sixth-inning role, we 'd be on board for his return. But that won't happen. Everybody knows if they re-sign Holmes at a favorable price, they will try to convince everybody he's an elite closer and keep him in a spot where he doesn't succeed. So, sadly, he must go to avoid the team shooting itself in the foot.

Alex Verdugo

Alex Verdugo wants to return to the Yankees. But unless he wants to come back as a cost-effective fourth outfielder, there's just no way to justify this re-signing.

Verdugo was acquired in an offseason trade last year with the Boston Red Sox and the early returns were beyond promising. He provided sterling defense in left field and managed to come through in the clutch while the rest of the lineup was sleepwalking. It was a breath of fresh air for about six weeks.

And then the "Alex Verdugo Experience" Red Sox fans tried to sell us on after the trade reared its ugly head. Verdugo quickly became one of the worst qualified hitters in MLB. He couldn't hit for power. He stopped driving in runs. He stopped making consistent contact. He was a black hole. And then the defense in left field started to slip.

When it was all said and done, Verdugo had his worst career season in New York, finishing with an awful 83 OPS+. He had 11 doubles, nine homers and 29 RBI through April and May. When 2024 was over, he finished with 28 doubles, 13 home runs and 61 RBI. His .233/.291/.356 line was that of a fringe major leaguer. He frequently did not hustle. As quickly has he helped foster the Yankees' "dawg" mentality, he just as quickly faded into obscurity.

Not only did this not work out, but we don't even know what a contract would look like. Verdugo made $8.7 million in his final year of arbitration in 2024, but he can't be paid close to that amount for 2025, nor can he be viewed as a starter with Jasson Dominguez back in the fold. He also cannot return if Juan Soto departs. The only way we'd see this working is if Verdugo returned to a fully re-stocked Yankees squad looking to make another World Series run with him has a bench piece. But why would he do that? It doesn't help his career whatsoever.

The grass will be greener elsewhere, and Yankees fans are just glad the suffering for this particular player only lasted once season, while everybody else on this list dragged on for three or more.