Alex Anthopoulos enters the Winter Meetings on a mission to get the Atlanta Braves roster in a place that can bounce back from their disappointing 2025 season. Upgrades can come from a variety of positions for the Braves, and one area that is in clear need of improvement is the bullpen. Pitching of any kind will be a priority for Anthopoulos this offseason, but the bullpen feels like it needs a lot more love than other spots on Atlanta's roster.
When the Braves declined options on Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley they signaled a desire to overhaul the bullpen this winter. Atlanta brought back closer Raisel Iglesias in November, but plenty of important innings remain open to be claimed. Anthopoulos will continue to stockpile reclamation relief projects on the 40-man, but don't be surprised if he adds some more certainty in the coming weeks. Should Anthopoulos opt to sign reliable Joe Jimenez insurance this month, here are a few names that could be of interest for the Braves front office.
3 relievers the Braves could pursue as insurance for another Joe Jimenez setback
The first name we will dive into is an unorthodox, yet super effective bullpen piece. Tyler Rogers is the sidewinding relief pitcher, who has been one of baseball's best kept secrets over the past few seasons. Rogers has been a stud out of the bullpen since he arrived in the big leagues back in 2019. Rogers has a career 2.76 ERA and 3.31 FIP in over 400 innings of work.
Last season Rogers pitched excellently for both the Giants, and the Mets (who traded for him at the deadline) and his final numbers produced a sub 2.00 ERA, and 2.88 FIP in 81 appearances. Rogers' success feeds off his incredible ability to avoid barrels and generate groundballs. Last season, Rogers finished in the 98th percentile in groundball rate, and 100th percentile in both barrel rate and walk rate according to Baseball Savant. The downside with Rogers is his expected market, as plenty of teams will likely be willing to commit serious money to the soon to be 35 year-old righty.
Tyler Rogers, Silly 74mph Rising Slider. 🥴 pic.twitter.com/XcXSvqmKCn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 1, 2025
Next, we turn to a forgotten man in Drew Pomeranz. The veteran lefty made his inspiring comeback last season with the Cubs, and was fairly effective in 2025. Before last season, Pomeranz had not pitched in a big league game since 2021. After battling multiple injuries over the past few years, Pomeranz seemed to finally be rewarded with some good health luck in 2025.
Pomeranz only pitched in 57 games last season, but his 2.17 ERA, 3.36 FIP, and 28.1% strikeout rate carried him to a solid season out of the Cubbies bullpen. Pomeranz is 37 years-old, and would not command a huge free agent contract. This could be a great value signing if Anthopoulos likes the stuff Pomeranz put on tape last season.
The final name we will mention is former Reds reliever/swing man Nick Martinez. The veteran RHP has been something of a swing-man for Cincinnati the last couple seasons. Martinez has thrown over 100 innings in every season since 2022, and he made 42 starts over the last two years for the Reds. He won't blow you away with his stuff, but Martinez pounds the strike zone and more often than not finds a way to induce soft contact.
Another veteran that shouldn't command too much money/years on the free agent market, Martinez could fill a very valuable role as the hybrid starter/long-relief option for new manager Walt Weiss. Regardless of which reliever Anthopoulos targets, the Braves will almost certainly add some more established options to the current crop of relievers on the 40-man.