It only took 2 games for Guardians to get tired of Pirates’ bullpen disaster

The hype around Konnor Griffin's arrival trumps pretty much anything else in the news cycle right now, but Pittsburgh Pirates fans may have missed a pretty funny turn of events while awaiting the debut of the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball.

Colin Holderman, whom the Pirates non-tendered over the offseason, was just demoted by the Cleveland Guardians. After two games.

Who could have seen that coming?

Pirates fans know firsthand what the Holderman roller coaster is like. He looked the part of a relief ace in 2023 and 2024 before injuries sapped him of all effectiveness last year, but even his best seasons were marred by control issues and a lack of dependability in big spots.

And, wouldn't you know, it the Guardians sent him down to work on his command (while also prioritizing flexibility during a difficult stretch in the schedule). He only tossed three innings in Cleveland thus far, but Holderman walked two batters and allowed a home run in that time, looking far more like the 2025 version of himself that pitched his way out of Pittsburgh than the high-leverage reliever from years prior.

Colin Holderman's short-lived Guardians tenure is a reminder that Pirates were right to rebuild bullpen

Holderman is still only 30 years old, and thanks to a hard sinker that he can throw in the upper-90s, he'll always have the potential to be a high-strikeout, groundball-heavy reliever that can shut down hitters from both sides of the plate. But this demotion is just more proof that he's far from a finished product, which is exactly why the Pirates were wise to move on.

In turn, their additions to the relief corps have already made a big impact. Mason Montgomery is wading through his own issues with free passes right now, but he's striking out everyone else while looking the part of a dominant lefty reliever.

Gregory Soto has looked even better, firing off four scoreless appearances to begin his Pirates tenure. An 11.8% walk rate is par for the course for the hard-throwing veteran, but it hasn't been hard for Soto to work around trouble while striking out eight of the first 17 batters he faced.

José Urquidy, meanwhile, is a surprise member of the bullpen after failing to win a rotation job in spring training, but he's already recorded a save and figures to be a key piggyback starter in 2026. Like Soto and Montgomery, he gives manager Don Kelly more flexibility with managing the bridge from the starting rotation to closer Dennis Santana.

Holderman was no longer able to provide the same benefit, hence why he's gone. Cleveland, it appears, has found out the same truth the hard way.