ORLANDO, Fla. — The Atlanta Braves announced on Thursday that they agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with right-handed reliever Robert Suarez, the former San Diego Padres closer.
The Braves will use Suarez as a setup man and backup to Raisel Iglesias, who’s been their closer for the past four seasons and was re-signed three weeks ago to a one-year, $16 million contract.
Suarez, who will be 35 on Opening Day, logged a second consecutive All-Star Game appearance last season, continuing his unique path as a hard-throwing late bloomer. His 40 saves led the National League. His 76 saves since the start of 2024 are the most in the big leagues.
Adding the hard-throwing Suarez will enable the Braves to have an elite closer in each game, even if they were to reel off a significant winning streak, or any other situation where Iglesias, who’ll be 36 in January, needs a day off.
The Venezuela native began his career a decade earlier, briefly competing in the Mexican League before making the intercontinental jump to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. There, Suarez established himself as a useful reliever before eventually emerging as a shutdown closer for the Hanshin Tigers. After the 2021 season, the Padres gave him his first big-league opportunity in the form of a two-year, $11 million guarantee.
This cycle, Suarez, ranked the No. 23 free agent on The Athletic’s Big Board, was projected to earn $54 million over three years.
Suarez has since maintained upper-90s velocity, occasionally touching 101 mph. His high-octane stuff and above-average command helped him land a second, more lucrative deal with San Diego — five years and $46 million — after the 2022 season. Suarez has leaned, almost exclusively at times, on his four-seamer and sinker. In 2024, he threw either pitch 87 percent of the time. In 2025, he scaled back that reliance to a mere 80 percent before opting out of the two years and $16 million remaining on his contract.
Elbow inflammation that cost Suarez much of the 2023 season might have encouraged his fastball-happy ways. That modus operandi comes with a noticeable downside: Suarez’s lack of a consistent breaking pitch can make his appearances an adventure. Each year in the majors, he has ranked below league average in whiff percentage, although his heavy heater can be difficult to barrel. He allowed a career-worst 42.6 percent hard-hit rate in 2025.
Suarez’s contract will pay him $13 million in 2026, $16 million each in 2027 and 2028, with no money deferred. The increase in salary could potentially accompany a move into the primary closer role if Iglesias isn’t brought back again after next season.
The Athletic’s Will Sammon contributed to this report.