Veteran closer Raisel Iglesias is headed back to Atlanta, and the Braves’ bullpen just got a familiar jolt of firepower.
The team announced that Iglesias, 35, has agreed to a one-year, $16 million deal to return as the team’s closer, a role he’s occupied with remarkable consistency since joining the Braves midway through the 2022 season. While his 2025 campaign saw a slight dip in dominance, Iglesias remains one of baseball’s most reliable late-inning arms, and this move signals Atlanta’s belief that the veteran still has plenty left in the tank.
A Slight Dip After a Stellar 2024
After authoring a microscopic 1.95 ERA in 2024, Iglesias came back to Earth a bit this past season, finishing with a 3.21 ERA. Still, for most teams, those are numbers any bullpen would welcome with open arms. Over his four-season stint with Atlanta, Iglesias has compiled 97 saves, a 15–12 record, and an elite 2.35 ERA, numbers that speak to both his durability and his role as a steady hand in the highest-leverage situations.
Offspeed Troubles Point to Pitch Mix Shift
What changed in 2025? One thing, according to pitch tracking data, is pitch selection. Iglesias backed off his offspeed offerings, namely the slider and changeup, reducing their usage from 52% of his pitches in 2024 to just 38% in 2025. The result wasn’t favorable. Baseball Savant’s run value metric, which measures the overall impact of pitch outcomes, showed a staggering swing: those two pitches went from producing a +13 run value in 2024 to a -10 in 2025.
The Braves Have a Proven Closer with a Legacy Behind Him
Despite that downturn, Iglesias’ body of work speaks volumes. Since becoming a full-time closer in 2017, he ranks third in reliever WAR (11.8), trailing only Edwin Díaz and Josh Hader. He’s also second in total saves (247), behind only the seemingly ageless Kenley Jansen. That kind of résumé doesn’t fade overnight.
Originally signed out of Cuba by the Cincinnati Reds in 2014, Iglesias broke into the majors in 2015 and quickly carved out a reputation as a fearless, late-inning presence. After six years in Cincinnati, he joined the Angels in 2021 on a four-year, $58 million deal and posted a season strong enough to finish 11th in AL Cy Young voting, rare territory for a reliever. He was traded to Atlanta at the 2022 deadline, where he’s become a staple in the team’s bullpen.
With this new deal, the Braves aren’t just signing a pitcher; they’re doubling down on a proven weapon. And if Iglesias can recalibrate his pitch mix and recapture even a portion of his earlier Braves form, the back end of Atlanta’s bullpen could once again be among the league’s most feared.
