Hopefully all the pitching power he had wasn’t left in his hair, or the Pirates could have a real Samson situation on their hands.
The Pirates are continuing to invest in their bullpen, as they just claimed pitcher Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. Lawrence had agreed to a $975K dollar salary with the Rockies early this offseason, a contract that the Pirates will now take on. To make room for Lawrence, Johan Oviedo has been placed on the 60-day injured list.
Lawrence is out of Minor League options, so he’s almost guaranteed a spot on the active roster if he makes it past Spring Training, though he likely won’t see a ton of action when the regular season starts. There are several pitchers ahead of him in the bullpen as it currently stands, and he is coming off a terrible year.
The 2024 campaign saw the 30-year old pitcher take a major step back in his career, finishing the season with a 6.49 ERA, while giving up nine home runs, and only registering two saves in six opportunities. He also only struck 45 batters, while walking 33.
Bucs have claimed reliever Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies
Sweeper is rated as one of the best pitches in baseball
Nice get as far as waiver claims go. Filthy stuff if he can put it together.
— Christian✞ (@CWolfPGH) March 3, 2025
The Pirates made this move with the hope of trying to fix some damaged goods, as Lawrence has showed to be a capable reliever at times. His 2023 season is the kind of performance the Bucs are hoping he can live up to, as that year he had a 3.72 ERA, 11 saves in 18 opportunities, and struck out 78 batters in 69 games played. That being said, he was borderline elite on the road last year compared to at home, and PNC Park is certainly a much more pitcher friendly park than Coors Field is.
A huge rebound is what the team is looking for from Lawrence, but he will still most likely sit behind guys like Collin Holderman, Dennis Santana, and Carmen Mlodzinski. David Bednar will still likely carry out his duties as the team’s closer, so Lawrence will have to pitch his way into some more high-leverage work and setup opportunities.