The Braves additional solidified the again of their bullpen Thursday, asserting the signing of former Padres nearer Robert Suarez on a three-year, $45MM contract. Suarez, a consumer of Primo Sports activities Group, turned a free agent at season’s finish when he opted out of the ultimate two years and $16MM on his five-year contract with San Diego. He’ll be paid $13MM in 2026 and $16MM in each 2027 and 2028, per the staff. There are reportedly no deferrals within the contract. Atlanta designated lefty Ryan Rolison for project to open a spot on the 40-man roster (extra on that transfer right here).
The 34-year-old Suarez (35 in March) went immediately from Mexico to Japan’s Nippon Skilled Baseball late final decade and, after establishing himself as one of many prime relievers in NPB, has damaged out as a top-tier reliever within the majors. Initially signed on a two-year cope with the Padres, he opted out after one yr and inked a five-year, $46MM extension that afforded him one other opt-out provision after the third yr, which he took final month.
Now Atlanta-bound, Suarez has persistently posted high quality numbers in high-leverage spots for the Friars. Relationship again to his 2022 MLB debut, he’s posted a 2.91 ERA with a 26.5% strikeout charge and seven.6% stroll charge in 210 innings. Suarez sits slightly below 99 mph along with his four-seamer and enhances the pitch with a changeup that bought nice leads to ’22-’23 however has been hit onerous the previous two seasons. It hasn’t led to poor outcomes, nevertheless, as a result of Suarez’s fastball and sinker each grade out as dominant choices.
Suarez joins right-hander Raisel Iglesias, who re-upped on a one-year, $16MM contract earlier within the offseason, to type a potent one-two punch in the back of new supervisor Walt Weiss’ bullpen. Notably, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic stories that Iglesias will proceed to function the nearer in Atlanta. Suarez will function as his main setup man (and, after all, can deal with save alternatives within the occasion that Iglesias is unavailable or suffers an damage). Setup work is nothing new for Suarez, who in 2022 helped arrange for Taylor Rogers and in 2023 was a key setup arm for Josh Hader.
On the floor, a three-year, $45MM contract for a high-end reliever feels pretty effectively consistent with contractual norms across the sport. Nonetheless, Suarez’s camp did fairly effectively to get him the third assured yr. As proven in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, that is the primary deal of three or extra years for a 35-year-old (or older) reliever since Will Harris signed for $24MM with the Nationals previous to the 2020 season. Earlier than that, you’d should go all the best way again to Ryan Madson’s three-year pact with the A’s again in 2015 to seek out one other instance of a bullpen arm being paid for this lengthy of a time period at Suarez’s age.
Including Suarez brings Atlanta’s 2026 payroll as much as about $241MM. RosterResource estimates that the staff is carrying greater than $236MM price of luxury-tax issues, which locations them inside $8MM of the 2026 season’s $244MM first-tier luxurious threshold. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has already checked a number of objects off his winter to-do listing, although Atlanta nonetheless figures to be open to additions at shortstop, on the bench and/or on the pitching employees. That stated, re-signing Iglesias, buying utilityman Mauricio Dubon and bringing in each Suarez and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (on a two-year, $23MM deal) has eliminated a number of the urgency to make additional additions.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the settlement and the phrases of the contract. The Athletic’s Will Sammon first reported the year-to-year breakdown.
