Braves' improved bullpen a boon for entire pitching staff

ATLANTA -- At some point within the next few weeks, we’ll likely learn whether the Braves’ rotation will be bolstered by a key new addition. But you can already confidently argue that the value of Atlanta’s rotation has been strengthened via an impressive bullpen reconstruction.

Let’s just say we’ve come a long way since those early November days, when we were looking at Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer being the Braves’ best bullpen options.

With the subsequent signings of Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez and Tyler Kinley, concerns about Atlanta’s bullpen are now primarily felt by other MLB clubs. The Braves will have the ability to shorten games if their relievers live up to expectations. And in doing so, this relief corps would take some pressure off the rotation.

Yeah, there will be stretches during the 162-game season when the rotation (and maybe a consistently productive offense) can ease the workload of some key relievers. A weak rotation will minimize the value of a strong bullpen and vice versa, so the goal is always to do whatever is necessary to build the best pitching staff possible.

Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos would like to further bolster his roster with the addition of a frontline starter. But even if he doesn’t, he has already exceeded expectations with his pitching-staff reconstruction.

When the offseason began, there was reason to wonder whether Iglesias’ strong finish might push his price tag out of the Braves’ comfort zone. The veteran closer was a liability for this past season’s first two months, but he posted a 1.25 ERA over the 45 appearances he made going back to June 9. The only other relievers with a better ERA (min. 30 innings) during this same span were Aroldis Chapman (0.77) and Edwin Díaz (1.13).

Iglesias’ impressive finish made him one of the top three relievers available via free agency. It’s now funny to think there was reason to wonder if he’d be too expensive. All Anthopoulos did was sign two of those top three relievers. And he reportedly made a run at the other.

Iglesias returned to the Braves with a one-year, $16 million deal. This is the same salary he had drawn each of the past three seasons. His decision to agree to this figure in early November was a credit to the Braves’ organization, the city of Atlanta and any other factors that made him feel comfortable in this environment over the past few seasons.

Once Iglesias was signed, there was no doubt the Braves still needed more bullpen depth. But there was reason to be skeptical on the evening of Dec. 9, when it was learned the Braves and Mets were the top two suitors for Suarez.

As I wrote in a text to some former Braves that night, “It makes a lot of sense, but are they really going to spend that much after already signing Iglesias?”

Two days later, the Braves signed Suarez to a three-year, $45 million deal. And it was during that same week we learned the Braves had made a run at Díaz before he signed with the Dodgers.

Anthopoulos' determination to build one of the game’s top bullpens resulted in him landing two of the game’s top closers. Suarez leads MLB with 76 saves since the start of 2024, and Iglesias ranks fifth with 63. Iglesias has been tabbed to open the upcoming season as Atlanta’s closer.

The latest bullpen addition was Kinley, who signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal on Saturday. The veteran right-hander posted a 0.72 ERA (and a 2.74 FIP) over the 24 appearances he made after being acquired by the Braves from the Rockies on July 30.

Taking a chance on a reliever faring better after getting away from Coors Field seemed like a shrewd move until the Braves declined Kinley’s $5 million option in November. But things have gone so well for Anthopoulos this winter, he ended up getting Kinley back with a small savings.

Lee’s success over the past few years sets him up to join Kinley as a top setup option for Iglesias and Suarez. Joel Payamps could also emerge as a key figure in the bullpen. Grant Holmes and Reynaldo López are targeted to be starters, but they both have the capability of adding quality depth to this impressively reconstructed ‘pen.