The Atlanta Braves have made a surprising move, bringing back closer Raisel Iglesias with a one-year, $16 million contract for the 2026 season. This marks Iglesias’s fifth year with the team, and he’s maintaining the same salary he earned in 2025.
Typically, Braves President Alex Anthopoulos indicated that the team was prioritizing other areas, like shortstop and starting pitching. However, the chance to keep Iglesias, a standout reliever as he approaches his 36th birthday, changed their focus.
Iglesias has been solid since joining the Braves from the Angels at the 2022 trade deadline. Over 218 innings, he holds a 2.35 earned run average (ERA) and ranks fourth in Major League Baseball with 113 saves since then. He has consistently delivered, boasting a sub-3.00 ERA each year from 2020 to 2024.
His 2025 season started with challenges. Early on, Iglesias struggled, giving up home runs at an alarming rate. By the end of May, he had a 5.91 ERA after allowing seven home runs in just two months. However, he turned things around in June, becoming one of the league’s top late-game pitchers. He pitched 46 innings with a remarkable 1.96 ERA in the latter half of the season, striking out nearly 30% of hitters.
Statistics from Iglesias’s performance show his ability to bounce back. He maintained a strong strikeout rate of 27.4% against a low walk rate of 6%. Overall, he finished with a 3.21 ERA, converting 29 of 34 saves.
Despite being projected as a top free agent, Iglesias opted to stay with the Braves instead of pursuing offers from other teams like the Dodgers. The Braves are still in search of additional late-inning relievers, as groups like Toronto and Los Angeles also scramble to enhance their bullpens. Notably, other high-profile closers like Edwin Díaz are expected to command hefty contracts after declining offers from their former teams.
As for the Atlanta bullpen, they are set to welcome back Joe Jiménez after he missed the previous season due to knee surgery. But the club still needs to bolster the bullpen and address gaps in the starting rotation and shortstop position.
Heading into the 2026 season, the Braves have 13 players locked into guaranteed contracts, amounting to $192.5 million. They have a light arbitration class that is unlikely to add significant payroll, which means they’ll have to navigate carefully around their budget decisions, especially if they hope to fill critical gaps in their roster.
Recent trends show that MLB teams are investing heavily in solid relief pitching, given the high stakes of late-game situations. According to a 2023 report from FanGraphs, teams have recognized the value of reliable closers, evidenced by the growing market for elite talent in this position.
In short, the Braves’ decision to re-sign Iglesias may well be a strategic move to solidify their bullpen for another competitive season, while they continue to tackle other team needs.
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