"Like Kinley, Johnson was also acquired from the Rockies in a Trade Deadline deal, back in 2023. He was lights out after the trade (17/66/48 ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-), and because he checked a lot of boxes the Braves like (or liked?) including z-whiff and a hard breaking pitch, they locked him up on a two-year deal that paid him $7 million in each of 2024 and 2025, and also came with a club option for another $7 million for 2026."
"Johnson's 2024 was pretty good - 0.5 fWAR, 89/91/90. Not dominant stuff, but basically your sort of generic better-than-average reliever guy. Fit for high leverage, but not that high leverage. His 2025, though, was more of a problem, as he posted his lowest strikeout rate since his sophomore 2018 campaign, after which he had to head to Japan to find a meaningful role."
"The aggregate 2025 performance was okay - 0.3 fWAR, 72/97/98, but honestly, that's not the sort of thing you need to pay $7 million for. Johnson had particular problems down the stretch - 103/139/121, which may have motivated the Braves to move on, given that getting killed by HR/FB and having poor peripherals for two months of work is not what anyone wants to see."
Pierce Johnson was acquired from the Rockies in the 2023 Trade Deadline deal and excelled immediately, prompting a two-year contract paying $7 million in 2024 and 2025 plus a $7 million 2026 club option. The Braves declined a prior option on Tyler Kinley before declining Johnson’s option. Johnson produced modest value in 2024 (0.5 fWAR, 89/91/90) but regressed in 2025, posting his lowest strikeout rate since 2018 and an aggregate 0.3 fWAR (72/97/98). A severe late-season slide (103/139/121) with elevated HR/FB and poor peripherals reduced his value. Declining the option freed about $11.5 million for roster allocation.
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