Colorado Rockies Sign 5-Year Veteran Reliever

The Colorado Rockies have made a move to beef up their bullpen after losing a key arm earlier in the offseason. 

#Rockies are expected to announce a one-year agreement today with RHP Pierce Johnson, who was with the #Padres last season. Johnson is a local product who prepped at Faith Christian Academy in Arvada.

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) December 13, 2022

Per Rockies reporter Thomas Harding, the team will be announcing a one-year deal with Johnson. 

Johnson, who's from the Denver area, comes to the Rockies after spending three seasons with the San Diego Padres. The 31-year-old right-hander had a nice run there, pitching to a solid 3.39 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and a big-time strikeout rate of 12.1 K/9. 

However, he missed the bulk of the 2022 season with tendinitis in his right forearm that kept him out from April all the way through to September. 

Johnson began his major league career in 2017, but left for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan in 2019. After one year there, he returned to North America, on a two-year, $5M deal with the Padres in January 2020. They extended him through the 2022 season after a solid two seasons for them. 

Hopefully he's back to full health and ready to help his hometown Rockies. 

The Rockies lost Carlos Estevez in free agency earlier this month. 

Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports