Yankees Star Says He Can’t ‘Totally Ignore’ Next Deal, Projected at $52 Million

The New York Yankees have taken a relatively payroll-friendly and homegrown approach to building its relief corps in recent years, and that strategy has paid dividends as the team’s bullpen had the best ERA in MLB last season and ranks in the top six so far for 2024.

Closer Clay Holmes embodies the results of this approach, as he’s currently tied for the MLB lead in saves but well outside of the top-five in contract value, earning just $6 million this season.

However, with free agency looming at the end of the season, that seems poised to change with a significant new contract as one of the game’s most dependable closers. At this point, it’s hard to say what that could mean for the Yankees’ roster.

“No, the Yankees hadn’t approached him this offseason about a possible contract extension with free agency looming in the winter,” Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported. “He’s trying his best not to think about it, though he said he can’t ‘totally ignore’ that it’s coming.”