Yankees trade for Pirates reliever Holmes
The Yankees bolstered their bullpen on Monday, acquiring right-hander Clay Holmes from the Pirates in exchange for infielders Diego Castillo and Hoy Park.
Holmes has a 4.93 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 42 innings out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh this year, and he owns a a 5.57 ERA over parts of four seasons, all with the Pirates. The 6-foot-5 righty was Pittsburgh¡¯s ninth-round pick in the 2011 Draft and now joins former teammate Jameson Taillon on the Yankees¡¯ pitching staff.
¡°We feel like he's going to be a guy that is already very tough on righties, but we feel like he has the stuff and the repertoire to go to another place,¡± Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday at Tropicana Field. ¡°We feel like he's having a really strong season, a lot better than his ERA would suggest.
¡°I think he gives us a really interesting look in our bullpen as a kind of a righty assassin. We feel like there's still room in there for him to continue to grow as a really good reliever in this game.¡±
Holmes¡¯ calling card is his sinker, which can top 98 mph and averages 95.7 mph, as well as 5.3 inches more drop than the average sinker -- tied with new teammate Zack Britton near the top of the MLB leaderboard. Opponents have batted just .232 and slugged .317 against the pitch this season, with an absurd 87.7% ground-ball rate.
Holmes¡¯ overall ground-ball rate of 72.4% entered Monday as the highest among any pitcher this season (minimum 100 batted balls), which should be an asset at Yankee Stadium. On the other hand, his 13.2% walk rate is also among MLB¡¯s highest, and those free passes have contributed to some blowup outings. Fourteen of Holmes¡¯ 24 runs allowed this season have come in just three games, during which he walked eight of 21 batters faced.
As for Castillo and Park, neither currently ranks on MLB Pipeline¡¯s list of the top 30 Yankees prospects, although Park has enjoyed a big season in 2021. After starting at Double-A Somerset, the 25-year-old South Korea native moved up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and hit .327/.475/.567 in 48 games there, with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and eight stolen bases, while playing both middle-infield positions and in the outfield. He also received a brief Major League callup, making his debut off the bench and going 0-for-1 on July 16.
Castillo, 23, has spent 2021 at Double-A Somerset, where he has played second, third and shortstop and batted .277/.345/.504 with 11 homers, 32 RBIs and eight steals in 58 games.