Braves bring back Iglesias on 1-year, $16M deal

The Atlanta Braves brought a key piece back into the fold as they re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16-million contract Wednesday.

Iglesias, who will turn 36 in January, had been one of the top back-end relievers on the open market this winter. He's coming off another solid season with Atlanta that saw him tally 29 saves along with a 3.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts across 70 appearances. Iglesias' 9.8 K/9 rate was also up a full strikeout from 2024.

The Cuban has been one of the most durable bullpen arms in baseball over the last nine years, averaging nearly 61 games pitched per season since 2017 while making at least 58 appearances in every full season over that span.

A 11-year big-league veteran, Iglesias spent most of the last four years with the Braves, who acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels at the 2022 trade deadline. He owns a lifetime 2.90 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 869 strikeouts and 253 saves across 736 innings.

Keeping Iglesias restores some certainty in the Braves' bullpen ahead of what could be a winter of change for the group. It's also still not clear who will be his primary set-up man. Right-hander Joe Jiménez, who missed last season due to knee issues, underwent another procedure on his left knee and his status heading into the spring remains unclear, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said, according to Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game.