The Cleveland Guardians have signed free agent right-handed relief pitcher Colin Holderman to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Robert Murray of FanSided was first with the news. Zack Meisel of The Athletic then filled in the contract details.
Guardians Sign Relief Pitcher Colin Holderman
Holderman, 30, was a ninth-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 2016. He got his first taste of the majors with the Mets in 2022, pitching in 15 games and posting an outstanding 2.04 ERA and 1.019 WHIP in that small sample size before being dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deadline deal for Daniel Vogelbach. Holderman then struggled in nine games with Pittsburgh before emerging as a reliable high-leverage option the next season. In 2023, he put up a 3.86 ERA, 3.29 FIP, and 1.339 WHIP to go with 27 “holds” and two saves.
Free-agent reliever Colin Holderman and the Cleveland Guardians are in agreement on a one-year contract, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) December 11, 2025
Going South
Things began to go south for Holderman in 2024, despite registering career-bests with a 3.16 ERA and a 25.1 strikeout percentage. He hit rough patches at the wrong times. There was an ugly five-game stretch from July 28 through August 7 when he gave up 11 runs in 4 1/3 innings and was charged with two losses and two blown saves before landing on the injured list. It was a factor in the Pirates’ quick exit from the Wild Card race after making several deadline deals to shore up the roster.
The 2025 season was a disaster for Holderman. In 24 games, he posted a 7.01 ERA, 5.86 FIP, and 1.948 WHIP while seeing his strikeout rate drop precipitously to 14.4 percent. There were trips to the IL – a right knee sprain in April, thumb inflammation in May. These injuries, and perhaps Holderman trying to pitch through them, probably played a role in his ineffectiveness. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. At times, Holderman didn’t look like a confident pitcher. It was as if each return to the mound was like returning to the scene of an accident. With Holderman entering arbitration, a process that guarantees a hefty salary increase for any player who can walk in a straight line, the Pirates opted to non-tender him.
What Cleveland is Getting
Holderman features a six-pitch mix that includes a sinker, sweeper, cutter, four-seamer, slider, and splitter. The sinker and four-seamer are his hardest pitches, each averaging around 97 mph, although the latter is more of a “show-me” pitch. Last season, the splitter was a late addition to his repertoire, while he also dusted the mothballs off his slider and reintroduced it after not throwing one for two years.
Holderman is controllable through 2028 and still has minor league options remaining. Thus, it’s a more-than-reasonable gamble for Cleveland. It will be a bargain if the Guardians can unlock the form he showed in 2023.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
