The Atlanta Braves front office has continued to build its bullpen depth for 2026. They have a few more holes to fill than they'd like to admit. But Alex Anthopoulos and company will do all they can to build a strong bullpen.
On Sunday, Atlanta continued to work towards completing their bullpen as they agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.25 million contract with right-hander Joel Payamps.
The #Braves today agreed to terms with RHP Joel Payamps on a one-year contract worth $2.25 million for the 2026 season.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 23, 2025
Braves add Joel Payamps to what is looking more and more like a pretty speculative bullpen
Payamps was picked up on waivers by the Braves during the last month of the 2025 season. The Brewers cut him loose after a bit of a rough season. He had a 7.23 ERA over 23.2 innings with Milwaukee, including nine walks and 22 strikeouts.
The seven-year veteran only appeared in 2.2 innings with the Braves and struck out a pair of batters. However, Atlanta outrighted him from the 40-man roster after the season concluded. Payamps elected free agency, and it seems the Braves may have seen something they like.
Letting Payamps go to free agency helped the Braves save a bit of money. He was projected to earn $3.4 million in 2026 in arbitration. Despite the tough year in 2025, Payamps isn't far removed from being a great reliever. He posted a 2.78 combined ERA during the 2023 and 2024 seasons with 136 strikeouts over 129 innings. His strikeout and walk rates were exceptional at 26.1% and 6.7% respectively.
Atlanta clearly feels he can regain his success during those seasons. He was elite in almost every pitching metric outside of chase and whiff rate. He served as a great setup option for Devin Williams during his last two years in Milwaukee, and Atlanta needs a reliable reliever in that role.
This helps get things going in the right direction. However, the Braves front office still has a lot of work ahead of them.