Robert Suarez has been a valuable high-leverage weapon for the Atlanta Braves in 2026. The flamethrowing right-hander owns a 0.61 ERA and 2.36 FIP in 29 games so far this season. To say he was one of the best free agent additions in Major League Baseball this season would be an understatement.
The Braves took a bit of a gamble signing the 35-year-old Suarez to a three-year, $45 million deal. Thankfully, the early returns of Suarez's work have exceeded even the loftiest of expectations, and his 98.7 mph fastball (on average) seems to have a long enough shelf life to make this deal one of Alex Anthopoulos' most impressive hauls. Additionally, Suarez's numbers look even better when you compare them to some of the other elite relievers from last offseason's free agent bullpen crop.
Robert Suarez, 101mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/kRoCCkKlEh
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 4, 2026
Braves' signing Robert Suarez is looking like the best contract handed out to a reliever this past offseason
When you think back to early December 2025, it's easy to forget the Braves were heavily in on Edwin Diaz before he ultimately signed with the Dodgers on a three-year, $ 69 million deal. Sadly for LA, Diaz only appeared in seven games before his velocity dipped so much that the Dodgers knew something was up. Ultimately, Diaz had to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow in April, and he has yet to return to the mound.
The other big money right-handed reliever from this past winter is current Mets closer Devin Williams. He signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Mets, and the early results have not been pretty. Through 24 games as a Met, Williams has a 5.57 ERA, 14.9% walk rate, and -0.3 bWAR. His underperformance is one of many factors why the Mets' season has started so poorly.
In a vacuum, the Suarez deal looks awesome so far; comparing it to the deals of Williams and Diaz makes this move by Anthopoulos look even better. Suarez has slotted into Atlanta's bullpen quite nicely, and figures to be a key chess piece for manager Walt Weiss when the games get into the highest stakes.
There is still plenty of season left, but everything about Suarez's profile suggests he is one of the National League's most domiant relief pitchers. Late-inning arms this dominant usually fetch more AAV, but once again, Alex Anthopoulos has pulled off a deal that looks like highway robbery when compared to the contracts we saw handed out this winter.
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