Over the weekend, the Colorado Rockies made a rather surprising move, placing reliever Justin Lawrence on waivers last Saturday, as first reported by MLB Insider Jon Heyman. On Monday, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reported that Lawrence had been claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates haven’t formally announced the claim and will need to make a 40-man roster move to add Lawrence once the transaction becomes official.

The change of scenery comes as Lawrence, 30, struggled in the early part of Spring Training on the heels of a tumultuous 2024 season. Drafted by the Rockies in 2015 out of the 12th round, Lawrence rose through the system to make his debut in 2021, tiding a 100+ mph fastball from a low three-quarter arm slot that bordered on being a side-arm. However, he struggled with command in his brief cup of coffee in 2021 and posted lackluster results in 2022 with some promising potential on the fringe of his stats. He posted a 5.70 ERA that year with a 3.39 FIP, a 3.54 xERA, and a 3.63 SIERA. The latter three stats suggested that he was better than the surface level stats, and combined with a 25.1% strikeout rate and a 50.8% groundball rate, there were the makings of a quality reliever.

2023 would showcase the evidence of those prospects, as Lawrence had a breakout year at the age of 28. He tossed 75 innings, the 10th most of any reliever in baseball, to the tune of a 3.72 ERA and 134 ERA+ alongside a 23.9% strikeout rate, an 11% walk rate, and a 48.5% groundball rate. Lawrence was a go-to arm for manager Bud Black and even worked his way into late inning situations, tallying 11 total saves throughout the season. Lawrence’s success that season could be attributed to his usage of the “sweeper,” a variant of a slider that had become extremely popular that season. He had also worked to reign in his velocity, sitting in the 94-96 mph range on his sinker and fastball while still maintaining the ability to ramp up to 100 mph if needed. The hope was that it would help his command and consistency to make him a better pitcher instead of just a thrower.

Lawrence entered the 2024 season as the closer for the Rockies, looking to build upon his success in 2023. Unfortunately, in his second appearance of the season, his first at Coors Field, Lawrence entered the game with a 6-2 lead over Tampa Bay and proceeded to give up five runs on five hits while recording just a single out. The Rockies ended up winning the game on a walk-off grand slam by Ryan McMahon, but the outing was an example of the roller coaster that Lawrence could be. He finished out of the first month of the season relatively well, bouncing back from the outing and posting a 4.15 ERA the rest of the way. On April 30, however, in a game against the Miami Marlins, Lawrence was called upon in the ninth to shut the door and preserve an excellent start by Ryan Felter. He need up allowing two more of Feltner’s runs to score, while giving up two his own and recording just one out and recording the blown save in a game the Rockies would go on to lose in extra innings.

His struggles continued through the months, specifically in late-game situations. He owned a 10.00 ERA in the ninth inning and a 7.15 ERA in save situations alone and seven blown saves. His struggles resulted in losing the closer role partway through the season and being relegated to middle relief and the occasional late-game appearance. His pitches lost 0.8 mph in 2024, and Lawrence saw his strikeout rate plummet to 16.1% while his already problematic 11% walk rate crept up to 11.8%. The overexposure from the previous season could have been a contributor as well. Between the scoreless outings, it seemed as though Lawrence would give up multiple runs in outings when he was not at his best.

He entered camp in 2025 looking a bit shaky with his command, issuing three walks and two hit batters against two strikeouts across three innings of work. Though Spring Training stats should always be taken with a grain of salt, it was enough for them to waive Lawrence, who is also out of minor league options, and make room for other relievers in camp.

There is hope that Lawrence could benefit from the change in scenery and find refuge with the Pirates. Brent Strom, a notable pitching coach, is an assistant to the club behind the pitching coach, Oscar Marin. The Pirates have shown a knack for developing pitching over the last few seasons and now have the chance to get Lawrence back in form to utilize that nasty sweeper. Like many other pitchers, Lawrence struggled at home in 2024, posting an 8.49 ERA in Denver compared to a more palatable 4.50 mark on the road. He had pronounced home-road splits in 2023 as well: 5.40 at Coors Field and 1.62 when the Rockies were away. Over the past two seasons, Lawrence has a 6.69 ERA at Coors Field and a 2.98 mark on the road.

The Pirates also take on the $975K contract Lawrence signed in arbitration.

As for the Rockies, it opens the door a little wider for several names vying for a spot in big league camp. The Rockies have a plethora of young arms that made an appearance near the end of 2024 with strong results. Several of those players are expected to play a key role in 2025, especially thanks to the fact they have options, allowing the Rockies to move arms back and forth from Triple-A Albuquerque as needed. Jake Bird may see his window of opportunity open again, though he had the same struggles as Lawrence after a strong 2023 campaign. Jimmy Herget was claimed off waivers and could secure his spot since he is already on the 40-man roster. The team could also turn to non-roster invite Diego Castillo, who has looked good in his handful of appearances this spring. Prospect Zach Agnos has impressed the team in camp with his prowess of the mound, and if the team wants to trend younger, it could fill the pen with plenty of hard-throwing relievers.

Options are plentiful in the Rockies camp, and though it may hurt to see Lawrence go and perhaps regain his form with the Pirates, it may signal a more shrewd approach to decision-making for the Rockies. After back-to-back 100-loss seasons, the team is desperate to speed along the rebuild process, and making sure the best arms, whether it be a prospect or veteran, in the bullpen is an important part of that process.