Braves land veteran reliever Robert Suárez, adding him to their bullpen as a setup man and potential backup closer
ORLANDO, Fla. — In a notable offseason move, the Atlanta Braves announced a three-year, $45 million agreement with right-hander Robert Suárez, best known for his high-leverage work as a closer with the San Diego Padres. The plan is to deploy him as the setup man backing Raisel Iglesias, who has served as the club’s closer for the last four seasons and was recently re-signed to a one-year, $16 million deal.
As he approaches his 35th birthday on opening day, Suárez enters with another All-Star appearance under his belt from the previous season. His standout performance included leading the National League with 40 saves, contributing to a burgeoning reputation as a late-blooming power pitcher. Since the start of 2024, he has accumulated 76 saves—the most in the majors over that span.
The addition gives Atlanta a narrowly complementary dynamic: a top-tier closer in Iglesias and a formidable setup presence in Suárez, ensuring the bullpen maintains elite closing options even during long winning streaks or when Iglesias needs rest. Suárez, a Venezuelan native, began his professional journey a decade ago in the Mexican League before moving to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. There, he established himself as a valuable reliever and eventually emerged as a shutdown closer for the Hanshin Tigers. After the 2021 season, the Padres gave him his first MLB opportunity with a two-year contract worth $11 million.
On The Athletic’s top-free-agent board, Suárez was listed as the No. 23 free agent for the 2025–2026 cycle and was projected to command roughly $54 million across three years. He has consistently maintained elite velocity in the upper-90s, occasionally touching 101 mph. This power arsenal, paired with solid command, helped him secure a lucrative return to San Diego with a five-year, $46 million deal after the 2022 season. His primary offerings have been a four-seam fastball and a sinker, which he relied on for about 87 percent of his pitches in 2024 and around 80 percent in 2025 as he partially reduced his dependence on those pitches before choosing to opt out of the remaining two years and $16 million on his Padres contract.
A past elbow issue that limited Suárez in 2023 may have steered his approach toward maximizing velocity. However, this strategy comes with a caveat: a relatively inconsistent breaking ball can turn appearances into unpredictable outings. Across his major-league tenure, his whiff rate has trailed the league average, even as his fastball remains a tough pitch to barrel. In 2025, he also posted a career-worst hard-hit rate of 42.6 percent.
Under the new deal, Suárez is slated to earn $13 million in 2026, followed by $16 million in both 2027 and 2028, with no deferrals. The contract’s structure leaves room for him to potentially slide into the primary closer role if Iglesias is not re-signed after next season.
The Athletic’s Will Sammon contributed to this report.
