After Clay Holmes blew his 10th save of the season on Sunday night, the continued concerns piled in from the fanbase that the struggling closer will doom the team in October.
But, despite the growing panic, not many fans have a clear solution for the Holmes problem, and the Yankee bullpen doesn’t have a clear strikeout-heavy option to be the closer for a World Series team.
But BT opened Monday’s show with a solution, and it includes one of two starters taking over for Holmes.
“Clay Holmes has to step aside. He can’t be the closer. That’s it,” BT said. “I don’t know what the hell is gonna happen in October...but I am gonna say that I’m not willing to take the chance.
“It’s fairly radical, but this is something the Yankees must do. I know Clarke Schmidt is on the way back, and Luis Gil, and however they are juggling his innings limit, whatever they are going to do moving forward, I’ll let the Yankees figure that out. But if the Yankees think that Gil can make X amount of starts the rest of the way and pitch into October without a lot of restriction, then Luis Gil stays in the rotation, and Clarke Schmidt becomes my closer. If the Yankees are worried or taking precautionary steps about Luis Gil...then Luis Gil is my closer and Clarke Schmidt steps back in the rotation as soon as he’s healthy.”
Schmidt is nearing a return from a lat strain, and was posting his best strikeout stuff of his career this season. If he can’t be built all the way back up to be in the postseason rotation, why not have him close games? What about Gil and his electric stuff? Could he shut the door in the ninth while preserving his arm by cutting down on his innings? Both are options BT would like to see, but regardless, he wants Holmes out of the closer role.
“Clay Holmes ain’t it,” BT said. “Not good enough.”