How was he acquired?
The Braves signed Jhancarlos Lara back in 2021 as an international free agent. The team was still dealing with their international sanctions from the John Coppolella era at the time,
significantly limiting what they could spend. So getting a real prospect in this time would require finding a diamond in the rough for almost no bonus – which is exactly what happened with Lara, as he signed for just $10k bonus.
What were the 2025 expectations?
Lara emerged in 2024, spending most of the season in Rome before getting to make his final five outings in Mississippi as a starting pitcher. The expectation most fans had would be him going back to Double-A, this time in Columbus, and continuing on as a starting pitcher, even if many had him ticketed more as a future closer due to getting more innings in that way as well as chances to face hitters multiple times through the order.
2025 results
Lara started back in Columbus and struggled a bit in six outings, including five starts. He posted a 11.21 ERA, 2.38 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts to 19 walks over 17.1 innings. Still that was enough to get him promoted to Gwinnett – however as a reliever. He was more successful in Gwinnett than he was in Columbus, pitching to a 6.53 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts to 46 walks over 51 innings there.
Lara actually made a handful of starts in Triple-A late in the year, as the Braves decided to get him more innings in, getting him up to 68.2 on the year. He battled command a bit, but showed the stuff of a potential future closer. He even earned himself a promotion to the big leagues this year, though was sent back down before appearing in a game with the Braves.
2026 outlook
Lara is a potential closer who will get a real shot at opening the 2026 season with Atlanta in the big leagues. He isn’t likely to be the 2026 closer, but is almost guaranteed to spend real time there provided he stays healthy. He is in the Arizona Fall League right now with a 2.35 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings, though that also comes with nine walks.
The future is bright for Lara with his upper 90s fastball and plus slider, but for him to really reach his full potential he will need to continue refining his command. He will get every chance to earn himself a closer job in the very near future.
