The Braves announced Friday that they have selected the contracts of top catching prospect Drake Baldwin and veteran relievers Hector Neris and Enyel De Los Santos. All three have made the Opening Day club and are now on the 40-man roster. Atlanta doesn’t need to make any corresponding moves, as the recent returns of their two Rule 5 picks, this week’s trade of Angel Perdomo and yesterday’s outright of utilityman Luke Williams cleared several spots.
None of the three decisions registers as a surprise. Baldwin, 23, hit .313/.436/.375 in 39 spring plate appearances and was thrust to the top of the catching depth chart when Sean Murphy suffered fractured ribs early in camp. The 2022 third-rounder is widely regarded as one of the sport’s top catching prospects and one of the top 100 farmhands in the entire league. Baldwin will get his first opportunity and should see the lion’s share of playing time ahead of backup Chadwick Tromp while Murphy mends. Atlanta also recently signed James McCann to a minor league deal, but he’ll likely ramp up in Triple-A before he’s truly considered an option.
Neris was a late sign, agreeing to terms on March 3, and has only pitched two official innings so far. He’s gotten work on the back fields and in side sessions, however, and figures to get another inning or two between now and Opening Day. He hasn’t allowed a run in either of his two official appearances thus far.
The 35-year-old righty has a long track record in the majors, primarily with the division-rival Phillies and the Astros. He posted a 1.71 ERA and 31 holds as recently as 2023 in Houston, but he had an uneven showing as the Cubs’ closer in 2024 before being released. Neris saved 17 games with a 3.89 ERA for the Cubs but walked 13.3% of his opponents and also blew five save opportunities. He had something of the opposite play out in a late-season return to Houston; his 28.1% strikeout rate and 3.1% walk rate in 15 1/3 frames were brilliant … but his 4.70 ERA was lackluster. Overall, the veteran righty has a 3.27 ERA in 267 1/3 frames over the past four seasons.
De Los Santos, 25, has had a terrific camp, holding opponents to a pair of runs on just two hits and a walk with seven punchouts in 6 2/3 frames. He posted a 5.20 ERA in 64 innings spread across three teams last year, but he’s a six-year veteran who turned in a combined 3.18 earned run average in 119 innings for the Guardians from 2022-23. De Los Santos only has 4.015 years of major league service, so if he bounces back this year in Atlanta, he’ll be controllable through the 2026 season via arbitration.
“Hector Neris, Enyel De Los Santos”
Doh!
Braves select Drake, Phillies select Kendrick Lamar…
Eminem 50 Cent? Ludacris!
Drake is the man for the job, he has earned it this year
Same with Neris and De Los Santos
De Los Santos is a little older than 25.
I’m interested now that the Braves roster has Iglesias (Spanish for church) and now de los Santos (“of the saints”). If there’s a holier bullpen, I don’t want it.
I seriously don’t think it works that way, but certainly the braves could always use a little divine intervention.
Hopefully it doesn’t mean a bullpen with holes.
Enyel was born on Christmas Day as well, you know, that word that doesn’t like to be mentioned by some when it’s actually Christmas.
I like this! Hope Drake Baldwin takes the job and runs with it. Best hitter the Braves have developed in a while.
De Los Santos is 29, not 25.
The Braves Are Exploiting Roster Building the Smart Way
Most teams waste roster spots on overpaid veterans or AAAA players with no upside. Atlanta just:
Promoted an undervalued, high-OBP catcher instead of signing a washed-up backup.
Got an elite reliever (Neris) for cheap, knowing exactly how to use him.
Picked up a high-upside power arm (De Los Santos) before the rest of MLB realized he was undervalued.
Atlanta is looking good going into the new season.
Calling Del Los Santos a “high-upside power arm” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. In reality, he is a 29-year old journeyman who has bounced around several clubs with no ability to stick anywhere due to his poor control and lack of any consistently.
He is not “undervalued” given his stats in the last few seasons. He is a scrap heap guy. The White Sox didn’t want him back even though they don’t have many pitchers and his low cost. Teams know what he is. Bullpen filler that is always a bad inning away from getting cut. He has no upside compared to a young power reliever.
@deej
De Los Santos isn’t just some washed-up guy. His 3.18 ERA from a couple years back shows he can pitch well when used right, and his spring stats—7 Ks in 6 2/3 innings—hint he’s still got a strong arm. At 29, he’s not old for a reliever, and his fastball and slider can still miss bats. The Braves snagged him cheap because other teams are too stuck on his rough 2024 to see he’s a steal with room to get better. Upside’s there if you look past the obvious.
Yes relievers can be streaky but De Los Santos has never shown any level of consistency where he can be a quality reliever. The odds of him being good this year are pretty low given it has yet to happen.
ST numbers are meaningless. Other teams have scouted him and don’t see this “steal” you see for some reason. Even the White Sox didn’t bother to bring him back and they are desperate for pitchers.
YOU think he is a steal based on his arm even though he has never put anything together through 6 mediocre seasons. His fastball sits around 95mph which doesn’t make him special and he has little margin for error thanks to his poor control. No one else in baseball sees this steal. Not even the Braves since I doubt they are going to count much on him. They shouldn’t. You are on a one-man island here.
@deej
Okay. We’ll see. I don’t expect them to be lights out but they will be serviceable. Let’s see if they prove me wrong.
Neris is the furthest thing from an “elite reliever”. Another journeyman on his last legs. That 2023 season seems like an outliner now and he will be 36 this year. His fastball velocity has gone down each year and he was sitting 92mph with the Astros for his second stint. Might explain why he has become very hittable now.
Both Neris and De Los Santos are likely to be out of the Braves bullpen sometime during the 2025 season. If they are both pitching a lot, that means the Braves will probably be losing many games.
@deej
Neris isn’t ‘elite’ in the closer sense, but he’s far from done. His 1.71 ERA in 2023 wasn’t a fluke—his career 3.27 ERA over four years shows he’s reliable when used right, even at 36. Velocity’s down to 92 mph, sure, but his splitter still gets swings and misses (30% whiff rate in 2024). He’s a steal for a late signing. De Los Santos, I already covered—his arm’s live, and the Braves got him cheap. If they’re pitching a lot, it’s not a death sentence; it means Atlanta’s playing matchups smart with affordable guys who can eat innings. You’re sleeping on their value.
smart x 3