Does Alex Anthopoulos spend too much money on his bullpen? The Atlanta Braves made the first big signing of the offseason on Thursday when they guaranteed $35 million to Evan Phillips over the next three seasons. The bullpen isn't considered the biggest need for Atlanta, but it's the first one Anthopoulos addressed.
Many Braves fans would be fine with the bullpen additions stopping at Phillips, but it seems Anthopoulos has other intentions. According to Francys Romero, the Braves are showing interest in a reunion with Raisel Iglesias. The 36-year-old closer has spent his last five years in Atlanta, and according to Romero, Iglesias is drawing interest from multiple teams this winter.
Raisel Iglesias has drawn interest from multiple teams, including the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers, per sources.
— Francys Romero (@FrancysRomero) November 13, 2026
The 36-year-old right-hander is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.55 ERA with 34 saves.
Braves reportedly eyeing Raisel Iglesias reunion, but they have some competition
The Braves closer was once again dependable in his ninth inning role last season. Iglesias had a stellar first half, earning his first All-Star nod in the process. Overall, he slightly outperformed his expected metrics. In 60 innings, Iglesias posted a 2.55 ERA, 3.48 xERA, 3.17 FIP, 3.45 xFIP, and 1.4 bWAR. Those numbers are why he will undoubtedly land a decent deal this offseason, and the Detroit Tigers are one of the teams listed alongside Atlanta as having interest.
Iglesias is still a very solid option for late inning work, but he is also at a point in his career where anything other than a one-year deal would come as a surprise. The Braves signed Iglesias last offseason to a one-year, $16 million deal, but projections expect that price to come down this offseason.
Detroit went the veteran closer route last winter when they signed 38-year-old Kenley Jansen, so it's no surprise they may want to run that method back with Iglesias. The Tigers bullpen is in need of help more so than the Braves; Detroit finished last season with the 21st ranked bullpen by fWAR, and their front office has placed an emphasis on adding swing and miss stuff to their bullpen this winter.
Anthopoulos needs to tread carefully when pursuing Iglesias, especially when you look at how his stuff has slightly declined. In 2026, Iglesias averaged 94.3 mph on his four-seam fastball, and if his velocity continues to dip, there is reason to question how effective he can still be. Iglesias' whiff percentage has also declined each of the last five seasons, although he still ranked in the 82nd percentile last season.
Allocating too much money to the bullpen will become a hot button topic in Braves Country if Anthopoulos gets aggressive in his pursuit of Iglesias. It's good practice to move on from a player a year too early rather than a year too late, and letting Iglesias walk might be the perfect example of that. Iglesias has been amazing for Atlanta since he arrived in 2022, but it's probably time to shake hands and let another team find out if he can still be effective in 2027.
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