Hey, we’re talking about the Braves here. Of course they do.
Or do they?
There are a few different ways to look at this. One, of course, is that they can’t help themselves. But, to what end? Right now, the bullpen is projected to have a strong-but-not-elite three-headed monster (Evan Phillips, Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee), with one guy in the “pretty good” camp (Dylan Dodd) and one guy in the “I guess you can roster him” camp (Victor Mederos). That’s five of eight slots spoken for with an above-replacement
guy.
Basically, there’s plenty of room to add. Not that it has to be a big reliever signing, but it could be.
Also, here are the Braves’ preseason bullpen projection ranks:
- 2026: 10th
- 2025: 6th
- 2024: 2nd
- 2023: 1st
- 2022: 4th
- 2021: 7th
- 2020: 8th
- 2019: 18th (this was the famous rebuild-the-bullpen-at-the-Trade Deadline year)
So, basically, ever since the 2019 bullpen tire fire, the Braves have aimed for a top-ranked bullpen. Right now, following the signing of Phillips, they’re somewhere in that range — currently ranking ninth. They could jump into the top five with a big signing; smaller signings won’t do it.
The veteran in the theoretical room is Raisel Iglesias. He’s been a Brave for four-and-a-half seasons now, and he’s been declining a bit relative to his early 30s, but he’s still been good. Based on his current projections, he probably doesn’t actually move the Braves into the top five, but a combination of him and a couple of smaller deals to fill those last two spots might. The Braves had no issue splurging on him last year, and then also adding Robert Suarez, with guys like Aaron Bummer and Joe Jimenez still on the books. Those latter two are no longer commitments, so… what do you think?
