Veteran right-hander Pierce Johnson and the Reds have reached agreement on a free-agent deal, according to a report from MLB Network insider Jon Heyman on Sunday. The team has not confirmed the deal.
Johnson, who will turn 35 in May, became a free agent when the Braves declined a $7 million club option on him for 2026. Atlanta had originally acquired the righty from Colorado before the 2023 Trade Deadline, and Johnson then re-signed with the Braves on a two-year deal that also included that option year.
Johnson established himself as a reliable bullpen piece in Atlanta. He was lights-out down the stretch for the 2023 NL East championship team, giving the club a 0.76 ERA in 24 outings, after posting a 6.00 ERA in 43 outings for the Rockies. Johnson was solid over the past seasons as well, with a combined 3.36 ERA and 126 strikeouts across 115 1/3 innings.
While Johnson has not shown much of a platoon split over the course of his career, he did this past season. He held righties to a .622 OPS and had a 40-to-3 K-to-BB ratio against them, but lefties touched him up for an .800 OPS, while walking 16 times against just 19 K’s.
What Johnson definitely provides is curveballs, curveballs and more curveballs. His hook has always been his top pitch, but he took its usage to another level after coming to Atlanta, throwing it more than 70 percent of the time in both 2024 and ‘25. His curveball rate was 72.1 percent in ‘25, putting him more than 20 percentage points ahead of any other MLB pitcher. Johnson combines his curve with a mid-90s four-seam fastball that he likes to throw up at the top of the zone and a cutter that he uses sparingly.
Originally a first-round pick (43rd overall) by the Cubs in the 2012 Draft out of Missouri State, Johnson was primarily a starter for much of his Minor League career but has started just two of his 330 Major League appearances (both as an opener). He has pitched for the Cubs, Giants, Padres, Rockies and Braves over eight big league seasons and also spent 2019 with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s NPB.
