Intriguing veteran reliever could help Guardians mitigate loss of Emmanuel Clase

While the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen was able to bounce back from the mid-season loss of Emmanuel Clase and finish 2025 with the best bullpen ERA over the final two months of the season, it was still a clear area for the front office. 

So much so, in fact, that Cleveland’s front office added four bullpen arms to the fold in the offseason. One of those arms was veteran reliever Colin Holderman, who has appeared in 161 games through the first four years of his MLB career with the Mets and Pirates. 

And even though he’s coming off an unsuccessful 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Holderman still stands out as one of the top options in the bullpen who could quickly rise manager Stphen Vogt’s trust tree as the season goes on. 

Guardians reliever Colin Holderman stands out as a top option in Guardians revamped bullpen

Last season Holderman posted a 7.01 ERA across 25 2/3 innings in a season marred by a right knee sprain and right thumb inflammation.

While Holderman finished 2023 and ‘24 with ERAs under four, he had to settle for a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Guardians in large part to those 2025 struggles. 

“It was definitely a challenge,” Holderman told Clevleand.com’s Tony Carter. “Last year was one of the toughest seasons. But my mentality is not to give up today because tomorrow might be the day it’s going to take a turn.”

Even though Holderman has gotten off to a rough start this spring (eight earned runs allowed in 2 2/3 innings), it’s important to remember that spring stats don’t mean a ton. It would obviously be better if Holderman had come out and set the world on fire at the start of spring, but a couple bad outings in February don’t define a season. 

Especially since Holderman should be one of the first relievers Vogt calls upon once the season gets started at the end of March. Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith are clearly the top two options in the back of the Guardians’ bullpen, but pretty much every spot behind them is up for grabs. 

Of the four offseason additions, Holderman and Shawn Armstrong stand out as the top two options given their veteran status and MLB success. 

When Holderman was at his best with the Pirates, he used his 97 mile per hour fastball and knee-bending sweeper to keep hitters off balance. 

But last season batters hit .424 against his sweeper and he struck out just 14% of the batters he faced. 

That’s not going to cut it in 2026, but it’s hard to imagine that’s going to happen again in 2026 so long as he’s able to stay healthy. And if he is able to stay healthy, it shouldn't take long for him to make a positive impression in Northeast Ohio.