Holderman, 30, was non-tendered by the Pirates last month. That wasn’t a terrible shock, as his 2025 season wasn’t great due to some injuries and issues when he was healthy. However, he was actually quite good the last two seasons, so the Guards will see if they can find a rebound.
During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Holderman threw 107 1/3 innings out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen. His four-sieve and sinker both averaged over 90 miles per hour, while he also combined a cutter and slider. He allowed 3.52 earned runs per nine frames. His 9.7% walk rate was a bit high, but acceptable. His strikeout rate of 24.6% and groundball rate of 45.8% were both slightly better than par. He earned two saves and 48 holds, living up to his last name.
But as mentioned, he couldn’t hold on until 2025. In April, he missed about three weeks due to a right knee sprain. After he recovered, inflammation of the right thumb put him back on the IL for approximately six weeks. Around those IL stints, he posted a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. He walked 12.8% of the batters he faced while only striking out at a 14.4% clip.
Holderman had qualified for arbitration a year ago as a Super Two player. The Bucs paid him $1.5 million in 2025. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Holderman a modest raise to $1.7 million in 2026. The Pirates decided not to pay that after his poor season, so they non-tendered him and sent him to free agency.
Cleveland’s manager Stephen Vogt recently said his club was looking to add depth to the bullpen. Holderman is a cheap pick and he also has options so he can be kept in Triple-A if he can’t get back on track. He added a splitter in 2025, though he threw it just 3.9% of the time in his shortened season. Perhaps better health will give him some time to flesh it out more. If he is still on the 40-man roster at the end of the season, he could be retained through arbitration beyond 2026.
Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images
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