ATLANTA — Just a few weeks after parting methods with two of their prime aid choices from the 2025 season, the Braves now discover themselves with one among baseball’s finest setup man/nearer duos.
Robert Suarez additional strengthened Atlanta’s bullpen on Thursday, when he signed a three-year, $45 million deal. The 34-year-old right-hander will function the setup man for nearer Raisel Iglesias, who returned to the Braves with a one-year, $16 million deal in November.
“I had loads of conversations with different groups,” Suarez mentioned, “however on the finish of the day, I simply continued to listen to so many good issues about this [Braves] clubhouse, this staff, this group, the best way they deal with their gamers and town of Atlanta itself. This was the proper resolution for me, and I couldn’t be happier. My household couldn’t be happier both.”
Suarez will make $13 million in 2026 and $16 million in each ’27 and ’28. The veteran reliever notched 36 saves for the Padres in 2024 and 40 extra in ’25. He may function Atlanta’s nearer over the ultimate two seasons of this contract.
However regardless of his current success, he’s content material with coming into the upcoming season as Iglesias’ setup man.
“I’m prepared to do no matter must be completed,” Suarez mentioned. “I simply wish to assist the staff win in any which manner. So I am blissful to do regardless of the staff wants.”
With the robust monetary commitments made to Iglesias and Suarez, the Braves have considerably lessened the bullpen issues that existed on Nov. 7, once they declined Pierce Johnson’s $7 million choice and Tyler Kinley’s $5.5 million choice. The thought was the cash owed to these pitchers may very well be higher allotted whereas reconstructing the bullpen.
Now that the Braves have signed two of this winter’s prime three free-agent relievers, it appears they’ve certainly utilized their funds properly.
Suarez’s signing was introduced about 16 hours after the Braves revealed they signed backup outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, who competed towards Suarez as a member of the Giants in Nationwide League West matchups over the previous few years.
“He’s an absolute stud,” Yastrzemski mentioned. “That was by no means a enjoyable time after I noticed him working in from the bullpen. It was a kind of [situations], like, ‘All proper, I’ve bought to grind right here to discover a approach to put collectively a good at-bat.’ You by no means anticipate to do something proper off of him. He strikes worry into opposing hitters.”
After spending the primary six seasons of his skilled profession in Mexico and Japan, Suarez was signed by the Padres in December 2021. The Venezuelan native made his Main League debut at age 31 the next April. Since then, he has been probably the greatest relievers in baseball, a subpar ’23 marketing campaign however.
Suarez has a profession 2.91 ERA and has 77 saves over 4 Main League seasons. Over 12 postseason appearances, the hard-throwing right-hander has a 2.45 ERA with three saves. Suraez didn’t obtain a qualifying supply from the Padres after the season, so there isn’t any Draft-pick compensation hooked up to him, or penalty for signing him.
His repertoire consists primarily of a three-pitch combine — a fastball, changeup and sinker. The most effective pitch in Suarez’s arsenal is the four-seamer, which averaged 98.6 mph final season and had a run worth of +15. Opponents hit .155 towards the pitch, which he threw 63.4% of the time. The fastball performs up with a better perceived velocity due to Suarez’s 6-foot-8 extension, which ranked within the 81st percentile final season. The changeup performed effectively off the fastball, producing a 32.8% whiff price.
Suarez has trended in the proper course over the previous couple of years in sure key classes. His 27.9% strikeout price final season was his highest since 2022, and his 5.9% stroll price was the bottom of his profession. His 2.88 FIP was additionally a profession finest in ’25, which marked his second consecutive All-Star marketing campaign.
