Reliever Pierce Johnson signs 1-year deal with Cincinnati

Veteran right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson made it official on Thursday, signing a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Johnson, one of the top setup men on the free-agent market after compiling a 3-3 record and 3.05 ERA last season for the Atlanta Braves, credited Reds closer and close friend Emilio Pagan with sealing the deal.

"After Cincinnati ended up re-signing him, he was like, ‘You're coming here. We're getting it done,' " Johnson said. "When you have your best friend selling you on something, it's easy to buy in."

Johnson (May 10) and Pagan (May 7) were born three days apart in 1991. They were teammates with the San Diego Padres in 2020-21.

Johnson has been durable over the past three years, appearing in 190 games. He does have closing experience, having earned 13 saves with Colorado in 2023 before being traded to Atlanta.

The 34-year old recorded a personal-best 16 holds in 2025. He fanned 59 in 59.0 innings while walking 19.

In eight career MLB seasons, Johnson owns a 21-24 record with a 3.79 ERA in 330 appearances (two starts) for the Chicago Cubs (2017), San Francisco Giants (2018), San Diego Padres (2020-22), Colorado Rockies (2023) and Braves (2024-25). He also pitched in Japan during the 2019 season.