As the Atlanta Braves continue their tryout of countless aging MLB relievers who struggled in recent seasons to fill out the bullpen, another intriguing option may have just hit the market. The Colorado Rockies placed Justin Lawrence on irrevocable waivers and he could be an interesting option for the Braves who could use some relief help still.
Colorado hasn't technically cut Lawrence, but if he is claimed by any team, the Rockies are forced to let him go to that new team.
While the righty struggled mightily in 2024, he could be a great fit for the Braves, who transformed one of Lawrence's former teammates into one of the most dominant relievers at the trade deadline two seasons ago.
Additionally, Lawerence himself may have hinted that the Braves could be his preferred destination.
Rockies Reportedly Place Justin Lawrence On Waivers https://t.co/4uv5N6GT12 pic.twitter.com/knBSDmyd8u
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) March 1, 2025
Why Justin Lawrence could be a perfect fit for the Braves bullpen
If you were to look at Lawrence's 6.49 ERA, 5.63 FIP, or even his ice cold blue Baseball Savant page, it would easy to dismiss Lawrence as an option for a Braves squad that currently numerous relievers still in big league camp.
However, the former Rockies closer might be an unfortunate victim of the Coors Effect. The righty doesn't feature a strong fastball. His average fastball velocity of 95.2 ranks in the 59th percentile in MLB, just slightly better than the average pitcher.
Lawrence rarely throws his four-seamer, however, using it just 1% of the time. Instead, he primarily throws his sinker and sweeper, accounting for the other 99% of pitches thrown.
Of course, breaking balls have notoriously been affected by the altitude at Coors Field. However, Lawrence threw his sweeper 41% of the time in 2024 and had a positive run value. Batters hit just .182 against the pitch, slugging just .250.
His primary pitch, his sinker, was the pitch that got blasted. Throwing it 58% of the time, batters hit .392 and slugged .692 against the pitch. His sinker was particularly hammered at Coors Field as well, as batters had a .436/.516/.718 slash off the then 29-year-old, resulting in an ungodly 8.49 ERA at home in 29.2 innings.
Pitching on the road was a different story. He still had a 4.50 ERA and his sinker still got hit relatively hard to the tune of a .338/.470/.523 slashline, but his sweeper was outright dominant, limiting batters to a .075/.178/.150 slashline.
If the Braves are able to nab the righty off of waivers, they might see more success in transforming the righty in the same way they did with Lawrence's former teammate, Pierce Johnson, in 2023.
Prior to being acquired by the Braves, Johnson was throwing his curveball 49.7% of the time and had 6.00 ERA with the Rockies. The Braves liked his curve a lot, realized it wasn't playing well in Coors, and had him throw it 71.3% of the time. In Johnson's 23.2 innings with the Braves, he only allowed two earned runs, good for a 0.76 ERA.
Theoretically, the Braves could do the same with Lawrence's sweeper, upping the usage while drastically decreasing the sinker's usage. That, coupled with moving away from Coors Field could easily help the righty come back down to his 2023 numbers, where he had a 3.72 ERA and a 1.2 fWAR.
Lawrence himself may have hinted at his interest in becoming a Brave as well. After being put on waivers, one Braves fan commented on Instagram, "Hope my Atlanta Braves pick you up Justin!".
Not only did Lawrence like that comment, but he also responded, stating that it's his mom's favorite team. If the Braves are able to snatch him off of waivers, he could make Lawrence's mother very happy.