The Braves announced they’ve re-signed free agent closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16MM deal. The PRIME client returns for what’ll be a fifth season in Atlanta on the same salary he made in 2025.
As is often the case with Braves moves, the signing comes out of the blue. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos suggested at the GM Meetings the team was more focused on addressing shortstop and upgrading the starting rotation while keeping the bullpen on the back burner. That apparently changed with the opportunity to keep Iglesias, who remains a high-end reliever as he enters his age-36 season.
The 11-year veteran carries a 2.35 earned run average in 218 2/3 innings since the Braves acquired him from the Angels at the 2022 trade deadline. He’s fourth in MLB with 113 saves since the start of that season. Iglesias posted a sub-3.00 ERA each season between 2020-24 as one of the steadier closers in the league.
Things seemed as if they might come off the rails early in 2025. Iglesias gave up an early-season home run barrage, including five longballs in April alone. He surrendered seven round-trippers before the end of May and carried an ugly 5.91 ERA through the first two months. The switch flipped over the summer, as Iglesias was one of the league’s best late-game arms from the beginning of June onward. He reeled off 46 frames of 1.96 ERA ball while striking out 29.3% of opponents over the season’s final four months. Iglesias only gave up one home run in that time despite a massive 54.5% fly-ball rate.
The truth certainly lies somewhere between those two extremes. Iglesias wasn’t going to continue giving up homers on a quarter of fly-balls, as he did early in the year, nor will he maintain the sub-2% homer/fly rate he posted later in the season. That’ll be the main concern moving forward, but his strikeout and walk profile remains strong. Iglesias punched out 27.4% of opponents against a tidy 6% walk rate. He turned in a 3.21 ERA overall while going 29-34 in save chances — coming up just shy of the sixth 30-save showing of his career.
MLBTR ranked Iglesias as our #32 free agent and the #5 reliever in the class in predicting a two-year, $26MM contract. He did not command the second year for what would have been his age-37 campaign. The Braves were apparently one of at least two teams that offered a sizable one-year deal. Francys Romero reports that the Dodgers also made an offer around $16MM but Iglesias declined to remain in Atlanta. L.A. and the Blue Jays were the only other teams publicly linked to Iglesias in what turned out to be a brief stay on the open market.
Toronto and Los Angeles are two of a number of teams that remain in the market for a late-inning reliever. Edwin Díaz is almost certainly going to command the largest contract in the class despite rejecting a qualifying offer from the Mets. Devin Williams has gotten a lot of attention in the first few weeks of the offseason. Robert Suarez should command a multi-year deal at a hefty salary. Ryan Helsley, Kyle Finnegan, Emilio Pagán and Kenley Jansen are among the many other unsigned closers.
Iglesias returns at the back of an Atlanta bullpen that still needs a lot of work. They’re getting Joe Jiménez back after he missed the entire ’25 season recovering from knee surgery. Dylan Lee is a high-end option from the left side. Atlanta dropped right-handed setup arms Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley at the beginning of the winter, so another righty alongside Jiménez in the late innings is a must. They’ll balance that against the yet to be addressed starting pitching and shortstop holes.
The Braves now have 13 players on guaranteed contracts that’ll combine for $192.5MM next season. They’re operating with a very light arbitration class that features a number of non-tender candidates. That group is unlikely to add more than $4-8MM to the books. The Braves opened last season with a player payroll around $208MM. They’d likely need to go beyond that mark to address the rotation and shortstop, especially if they fill the latter position by re-signing Ha-Seong Kim. RosterResource projects them for roughly $208MM in luxury tax commitments, putting them well shy of the $244MM base threshold. The Braves are believed to have stayed below the CBT line this year but had paid the tax in 2023 and ’24.
Image courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images.
Makes sense. I don’t like the 16m, but who else would they go with the upside at this price? Honest question. Curious about opinions.
Airbender? He would be “better” (imo) and cheaper?!??? That being said, maybe ATL just likes the familiarity, and my Pads can go get Devin Williams instead. Haha
Williams probably won’t be on a one year deal
Probably not, no. You might get 2yrs at the same price? Idk, hard to judge his market.
I’d guess four or more. He’s young and he’s earned it.
I could see a closer-desperate team go 4yrs… (Mets?) With the relative volatility throughout Bullpens, I wouldn’t go more than 3 for basically ANY reliever. Somebody might!
Bet you Williams gets at least 2y/24M or the same 1y/16M
He might now, but I would have said “no chance!” yesterday! I still think his market is soft after a “rough” season in the Bronx.
Even on a 1 year deal I think $16m is a little steep.
I think this sets the market high for Suarez, Diaz, and Williams. If Iglesias can get 16m surely those 3 can get that or more.
They’ll be more about the years attached than the AAV. Atlanta took the short term commitment.
Pete Fairbanks.
Probably not on a one year deal. For a one year contract beyond Iglesias you are probably looking at Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, Kirby Yates. Even Helsley probably gets a multi-year deal even after being terrible with the Mets
We are going to see a LOT of high dollar one year deals this off-season!
Too much $
Yep way too much money. they needed to commit that 16 million to the rotation and offense
Way too much money…? Just wait for what D-Will, Suarez, Diaz will be paid.
And Run those guys will get paid AND have a QO attached to them. I wish they had signed him for a bit less, but if that was the price required to keep him from going to the Dodgers then I fully understand it (plus it was only one season).
Slight overpay, but if that extra $4 million prevents us from re-signing Kim or signing a #3-4 starter, we have way bigger issues
Braves brass said they want to be top 5 in spending. Maybe more excitement to come.
One year contracts always cost more. You have to offer more money to make almost no comittment more appealing.
With baseball going away in 2027, one year deals are going to be a good option for teams.
Oh stop. Baseball is not going anywhere. Stop being that person
Honestly, I love baseball, but I frankly don’t care at this point if they play or don’t. I’ve had it with this dog-and-pony show between MLB and MLBPA. At the end of the day, the owners will want a cap and the players will want a floor, but then they’ll come back with the same result of neither, with the PR statements alluding that they fixed things when they haven’t for the fans – only themselves. The big markets will still have financial advantages and small market teams will continue to not spend as they continue to serve as feeder teams for the big market teams that they push networks to air nationally for bigger dollars.
At this point, being a Marlins fan, screw them all. When both sides agree to a Cap&Floor system, that’s when I’m emotionally invest myself again. When MLB stops with this version of a rigged system, and changes to a system that includes letting the Marlins having a real owner instead of blocking better choices to hand over ownership to ‘boys club’ choices like the last two times, then I’ll find both sides credible in their words.
So, you’re an optimist?
I need to get my prescription checked. I initially read your comment as, “See, you’re an optometrist!”
You do realize that players don’t get paid if there is a lockout. They can commit all the money they want beyond this year, the lockout won’t matter.
Glad to have him back, and there is no such thing as a bad 1 year deal. But I do wish it was a bit cheaper. I’d rather just sign him for 2 years 23-24 mil than 16 mil for 1. But we know how much AA loves them 1 year deals and how he loves to over pay for that bullpen
No bad 1 year deals? Cole Hamels would like to have a word…
…fwiw, that was less than 7M in the 2020 season, despite it being a 18M signing.
Lots of cash for an older reliever. He did turn it around last season. I was thinking 10 maybe 12 tops on a 1 or 2 year deal. Good for him.
He’ll probably get his pay direct deposited vs cash.
My free agent predictions are cooked
Hefty payday for a 36 year old coming off a shaky season.
It wasn’t shaky. Bad first two months then elite the rest of the way. More of a slow start.
And he stoped throwing his slider which was getting demolished
People are saying too much money but A) it’s a one year deal, and B) after June 5th, his last 43.1 innings of the year, he had a 1.25 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 48 Ks, 10 BB. You can argue that he had a .194 BABIP over that stretch but anecdotally, he seems much more in command in the second half. I think it’s a fair price, especially with no commitment beyond 2026.
Have to say this now before it ends:
I’m batting 1.000 for the free agent contest.
I know, don’t mess with a streak but had to say it.
Welp 1/6. Had Rasiel to the Rangers.
Ding ding ding ding – the sound of me getting another right.
Probably be like the first year – I got like 6 out of first 7 and then got only 1 right the rest of the way!
Giants weren’t willing to go to 2 years to get him? Sheesh
Good move for them, but $16 million is a lot for 60 innings. Makes me feel better about the Phillies paying $9 million to bring back Alvarado.
It’s not the worst 1-year deal in the world. As great as Diaz has been for the Mets (w/ estimates 3yr/$60m), the Braves need a solid 3-4 starter and an SS. This gives them more room to sign, maybe a Z. Galen and H. Kim. Gives them the ability to see how Jiminez bounces back and whether Lopez will be able to return as a starter or become a big arm in the bullpen. Also gives them more ammo at the deadline if necessary.I was pretty certain Iglesias would return, but not sure about the next moves.
At least now it makes sense why they declined Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley’s team options.
Wow. The Braves are doing it. They want to compete. The traded for Maurico Dubon, and they also re-signed their closer. I’m impressed with their GM.