The Atlanta Braves have been busy figuring out their bullpen situation for next season and perhaps beyond. Earlier today, they made a small deal, acquiring Ryan Rolison from the Rockies in exchange for cash payments. This next deal is a bit bigger, to say the least. Raisel Iglesias is returning to the Braves after the team announced they have reached an agreement on a new deal.
There was some consternation around the 2025 trade deadline, when it became clear that Raisel Iglesias would remain with the Braves to finish the season. As it turns out, 2025 won’t be Iglesias’ swan song as a member of the Braves, as he returns on a one-year deal worth $16 million. It’s the same amount he made in the final season of that four-year, $58 million deal he originally signed with the Angels in 2022, so they essentially just added another year on top of that four-year deal.
Raisel Iglesias had a bumpy start to the 2025 season, but the ending looked more like his usual self. Iglesias finished the year with a 3.21 ERA (76 ERA-) and a 3.31 FIP (82 FIP-), which was good for 1.0 fWAR over 67.1 innings pitched over the course of the season. That production was in line with what he had done over the past three seasons with the Braves, and it’s clear from the price tag that the Braves expect him to do something similar in 2026. For whatever it’s worth, MLB Trade Rumors had him listed as the No. 32 free agent available on the market this offseason and they also projected Iglesias to end up with a two-year deal at a $13 million AAV, so there’s that.
Braves president/GM Alex Anthopoulos said they were going to address the bullpen situation this offseason and making a move to retain the services of Raisel Iglesias certainly qualifies as “addressing the bullpen situation.” There’s a lot more work to be done before this team can be considered a finished product ready to compete for Postseason contention again, but for now it’s a strong start to what should hopefully be a very productive offseason for the Braves.
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