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Braves Sign Hector Neris To Minor League Deal

By Nick Deeds | March 3, 2025 at 8:19am CDT

The Braves have signed right-hander Hector Neris to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to big league Spring Training, according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Toscano adds that Neris will be in camp today with the club.

Neris, 36 in June, signed with the Phillies as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic and made his big league debut back in 2014. That was a cup of coffee that lasted just one inning, however, and he’d have to wait for the 2015 season to get a more substantial look in the majors. He did well enough with the opportunity, posting a roughly average 3.79 ERA in 32 relief appearances despite some lackluster peripheral numbers. It was still enough to earn Neris a regular role with the Phillies the following year, however, and the 2016 season kicked off the best stretch of the right-hander’s entire career.

From 2016 to 2019, Neris pitched to a 3.23 ERA (133 ERA+) with a 3.68 FIP in 270 1/3 innings of work. He struck out 31.3% of opponents during that time and also handled ninth inning duties for Philadelphia on a semi-regular basis, collecting 67 saves along the way. Those are all strong numbers, but a deeper look reveals an interesting twist to Neris’s performance in that stretch; he was a well below-average pitcher in 2018. While 2016, ’17, and ’19 all saw Neris post seasons that were between 43% and 63% better than league average by ERA+, that final year actually saw him pitch to a 5.10 ERA that was 19% worse than league average.

It wasn’t all bad for Neris in 2018, as his 37.4% strikeout rate was incredible and paired with a very manageable 7.8% walk rate, but injuries limited him to just 47 2/3 innings of work and an inflated .354 BABIP combined with an eye-popping 22.9% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio held him back from success that year. All of that combines into a much stronger season when looking at advanced metrics than Neris may get credit for on paper: despite his well below-average ERA, his FIP was actually slightly above average, while metrics like xERA (3.81) and SIERA (2.28) were even more bullish on the righty’s performance.

Neris spent two more years with the Phillies after that, though the results (a combined 3.84 ERA and 3.73 FIP in 98 appearances) were fairly unremarkable. The righty enjoyed a renaissance after signing with the Astros in free agency, however. Between the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, Neris posted a brilliant 2.69 ERA (150 ERA+) with a 3.10 FIP in 133 2/3 innings of work. He struck out 29.1% of opponents, walked 9%, and maintained strong numbers according to both xERA and SIERA. While he collected just five saves in that time due to the presence of closer Ryan Pressly, the right-hander returned to free agency last winter in line to receive a strong contract.

He wound up getting a one-year, $9MM guarantee from the Cubs last winter. Unfortunately for both Neris and Chicago, it proved to be an up-and-down season for the right-hander. Though he stepped into the club’s closer job when incumbent Adbert Alzolay went down with Tommy John surgery, Neris struggled with his command throughout his time with the Cubs. The right-hander walked a whopping 13.3% of his opponents in Chicago while striking out just 23.5% of them. While his 3.89 ERA and 4.10 FIP in 44 innings of work were more or less league average, it was hardly a surprise when the Cubs ultimately designated the veteran for assignment due to the wildness.

Neris was picked back up by the Astros for the stretch run and seemed to get his command under control for the most part with a 28.1% strikeout rate and a 3.1% walk rate. Unfortunately, his on-field production actually got substantially worse, as he was torched to the tune of a 4.70 ERA and 4.80 FIP in 15 1/3 innings of work after giving up four home runs in just 16 games. The lackluster season led Neris to linger on the free agent market this winter, and now he’ll ultimately have to battle his way back into a big league bullpen in camp this spring.

He’ll get the opportunity to do that in Atlanta, for a club that lost a key piece of its late-inning mix back in November when it was announced that right-hander Joe Jimenez would miss 8-12 months after undergoing knee surgery. That left a void in the Braves’ bullpen by removing the club’s top right-handed set-up man for closer Raisel Iglesias, and a return to form could see Neris challenge Pierce Johnson for that role in 2025. Even if he can’t recapture the production he flashed during his first stint in Houston, however, Neris could provide quality veteran depth to a Braves bullpen without much of it after losing Jimenez to injury and Grant Holmes to the starting rotation.

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Atlanta Braves Transactions Hector Neris

Cora: Garrett Whitlock “100 Percent” Slated For Opening Day Roster
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The Opener: Yankees, Lawrence, Tigers
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17 Comments

  1. mlbnyyfan

    8 months ago

    Braves should sign Robertson and let him play close to home. IMO, I was hoping for a return to the Yankees, but that’s not happening. I’m not sure what his demands are, but he’s still a solid player

    4
    Reply
    • Jesse Chavez enthusiast

      8 months ago

      Yeah, Robertson has been a consistent pitcher for almost the entirety of his career. I guess his age is preventing him from getting the number he thinks he deserves on a 1 year deal!

      3
      Reply
      • LaFleur

        8 months ago

        How much 1 year 10 million? You think he’s asking 13-15 million?

        baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberda08.shtml

        Reply
      • Paleobros

        8 months ago

        He is (or at least was) his own agent, so maybe he could waive his fee to himself.

        Reply
  2. Champ world champion Texas Rangers

    8 months ago

    Braves at it again.

    1
    Reply
    • Sunday Lasagna

      8 months ago

      Dylan Cease will command a Max Fried like contract after this season. Since when does AA acquire ‘about to be free agent’ players and sign them to Max Fried like deals?

      Doesn’t seem like an AA move.

      Neris is just depth.

      8
      Reply
    • RunDMC

      8 months ago

      AA has been saying for yearsss that Cease is too expensive.

      4
      Reply
  3. Non Roster Invitee

    8 months ago

    Good luck to “The sireN”!

    1
    Reply
  4. Bart Harley Jarvis

    8 months ago

    Neris had a few good years for the Phillies, but not much of it was fun to watch. His 9th innings were always high wire acts.

    5
    Reply
    • VonPurpleHayes

      8 months ago

      That’s pretty much every reliever ever.

      4
      Reply
  5. Outfieldflyrule??

    8 months ago

    Depth for the Braves. Neris obviously couldn’t get a major league deal ..sees an opportunity to make a roster spot with the Braves…plenty of openings.

    Reply
  6. LaFleur

    8 months ago

    Joe Jimenez

    baseball-reference.com/players/j/jimenjo02.shtml

    Reply
  7. CravenMoorehead

    8 months ago

    I remember last winter when “Happy Hector” wanted a 3 year/$50 million dollar contract.

    3
    Reply
  8. swinging wood

    8 months ago

    He was Heart Attack Hector in Chicago.

    2
    Reply
    • Cat Mando

      8 months ago

      and Scare-us Neris in Philly.

      He may have had a fair number of saves in his 7 not-quite-full-regular-season with Philly but he also managed to tie the Phillies all-time blown saves record and 27 loss. I hated seeing him come into games.

      1
      Reply
  9. GabeOfThrones

    8 months ago

    Good pickup

    1
    Reply
  10. bravesfan

    8 months ago

    He was 10-5… seems like a high w-l record for a reliever

    Reply

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