This was not a season to remember for Atlanta Braves fans. Injuries played a large part in their missing the postseason for the first time since the 2017 season.
The front office is looking to put that bad season to rest and start anew in 2026. However, they have a lot of tough decisions to make. They need to figure out which players they need to go after to make them a better product after the winter ends.
They will almost certainly go after a shortstop on the open market after Ha-Seong Kim opted out of his player option. They have a few more holes after that, but they were able to fill one of those holes on Wednesday.
Braves lock down veteran closer Raisel Iglesias on a one-year deal
The Braves announced on Wednesday that they had agreed on a deal for Raisel Iglesias. The two sides agreed on a one-year, $16 million contract for the 2026 season.
According to Francys Romero, Atlanta was not the only team interested in the veteran right-hander. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays also reached out to Iglesias with deals close to or matching the $16 million that Atlanta offered.
That should make Atlanta fans plenty happy knowing Iglesias chose their squad over the two teams that were just in the World Series against each other.
Iglesias will return to his role as the one to shut the door in the ninth inning for the Braves. He is coming off a season where he made 57 appearances, holding together a 3.21 ERA across 67.1 innings and saving 29 games.
That is now one less reliever that other teams will have the opportunity to sign. Now, the attention remains on guys like Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, and Devin Williams.
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