Guardians sign 6-foot-6 former Pirates pitcher to free agent contract

Billy Heyen

Guardians sign 6-foot-6 former Pirates pitcher to free agent contract image

The Cleveland Guardians just signed a 6-foot-6 pitcher.

If their track record with getting the most out of arms is a good sign, this one could work out particularly nicely.

The new guy is Colin Holderman, with the deal reported by Robert Murray on Thursday afternoon.

Holderman is a 30-year old who originally came into professional baseball in 2016 as a ninth-round draft pick by the New York Mets out of Heartland Community College.

He ended up making his MLB debut with the Mets in 2022, throwing in 15 games with a 2.04 ERA before being moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Holderman has pitched in portions of four big league seasons with the Pirates, putting up a 4.39 ERA with 138 strikeouts in 143.2 innings pitched.

He had a really good 2024, with a 3.16 ERA in 55 appearances.

The 2025 season was a lot rougher, a 7.01 ERA in 24 outings.

The Guardians likely see something in his past profile that they believe they can unlock again.

And given the way Cleveland often has worked with pitchers, it wouldn't be shocking to see them make the most of this new, tall signing.

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Staff Writer