The relief pitching market is not slowing down, and the Atlanta Braves are doing their best to corner it.
The Braves agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with All-Star closer Robert Suarez, snagging one of the best late-inning guys left on the market.
The move comes three weeks after the Braves re-signed Raisel Iglesias, their closer for the past three seasons, to a one-year, $16 million contract.
It stands to reason that Suarez, 34, will be the one handling the closer role, as he adds a significantly more dominant look to their bullpen. Suarez saved 40 games for the Padres last season, when he earned his second All-Star selection and retained the closer role even after San Diego acquired fireballing right-hander Mason Miller at the trade deadline.
Suarez remade his career over five seasons in Japan’s Nippon Baseball League, then returned to affiliated ball here in 2022, striking out 61 batters in 47 ⅔ innings of work for the Padres in 2022, when they advanced to the NL Championship Series. His strikeouts per nine innings dipped from 11.5 to 7.8 in 2023, but he bounced back in 2025 with a rate of 9.7 per nine, and a career-best 9.7 strikeout-walk ratio.
The right-hander had been connected to the New York Mets, particularly after their loss of closer Edwin Díaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, the top two and six of the top 10 relievers available have been signed.
MLB free agent rankings
These are the top 10 free agent relief pitchers still on the market:
- Kenley Jansen, RHP
- Tyler Rogers, RHP
- Seranthony Dominguez, RHP
- Brad Keller, RHP
- Drew Pomeranz, LHP
- Caleb Thielbar, LHP
- Shawn Armstrong, RHP
- Luke Weaver, RHP
- David Robertson, RHP
- Tommy Kahnle, RHP