Teams like the Atlanta Braves are honestly kind of boring when it comes to spring training battles. Yes, there will be prospects that capture fans' attention and it will just be great to see baseball being played, but the Braves don't usually have many actual competitions in camp as roles are pretty well settled ahead of time. However, the battle of the final two bullpen spots this spring could get very interesting in a hurry.
We know that the Braves reunited with Raisel Iglesias to help handle the late innings and by going out and signing Robert Suarez, Atlanta has one of the best 1-2 punches out of the bullpen in all of baseball. Dylan Lee and Tyler Kinley are probably locks as well, but the picture after that gets very cloudy and could easily come down to who pitches best this spring.
You can add yet another name to the group vying for innings in the Braves' relief corps as Atlanta recently brought back Jose Suarez via yet another waiver claim.
Braves bring back Jose Suarez as bullpen competition this spring comes into focus
Suarez's time in the big leagues with the Braves in 2025 was brief, but he did perform pretty well in his seven appearances with a 1.87 ERA, although walks and a less promising 3.70 FIP point to some amount of good fortune. The Braves clearly weren't enamored with Suarez as they put him on waivers earlier this month only for the Orioles to claim him. That didn't stink long and the Orioles, too, decided to designate Suarez for assignment after they claimed Weston Wilson.
Now the Braves are going to have some decisions to make. Aaron Bummer, Joel Payamps, and Joey Wentz are familiar faces that will be competing for roster spots with Daysbel Hernandez, Rolddy Muñoz, Ian Hamilton, Hayden Harris, and Dylan Dodd all among those in the running as well. Add in the fact that one or both of Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez could see time in the bullpen and you have quite the mess to sort out.
Hopefully having such a deep group of contending arms results in a true competition that makes the Braves' bullpen much better overall. After a disappointing 2025 season, having the bullpen being a strength of the roster again could be the key to unlocking this Braves team's potential.