While the Atlanta Braves may be saying that adding a rotation arm for depth and pursuing an everyday shortstop are their top priorities, rebuilding the bullpen may actually be a more pressing need. Atlanta gutted their relief corps after the 2025 season and while they did opt to bring back Raisel Iglesias, it is still a group in need of reinforcements especially with Joe Jimenez's uncertainty.
Thankfully, it does appear that the Braves' actions are showing that urgency even if they aren't saying it. Not only have the Braves been claiming fringe relievers since the beginning of the offseason, but the current rumor is that Atlanta is aggressively pursuing Robert Suarez on the free agent market.
Braves reportedly are among the most aggressive suitors for Robert Suarez
First, in terms of whether or not Suarez is a fit for the Braves, the evidence is clear that he is. The Braves have relied on Iglesias for a long time, but there is no denying that his first half was a reminder of how volatile relievers can be. By adding Suarez, it would give Atlanta another high leverage option that they have lacked with Jimenez out while protecting against another slump from Iglesias.
We also know that the Braves still have money for the bullpen after signing Iglesias, but exactly how far they should push for Suarez is a fair question. Suarez is a top bullpen arm in baseball who throws a lot of strikes, but he doesn't get as much swing and miss as you would expect and he has given up a lot of hard contact for an elite closer.
Before the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors predicted Suarez to get a three year, $48 million deal and their prediction for Iglesias (two years and $26 million) wasn't wildly off. If the trend holds and MLBTR's prediction was a little heavy, that price point feels like a strong investment by the Braves. If Suarez is demanding more than that and pointing at the deal Edwin Diaz just got, the value in signing Suarez goes down considerably.
Thus far, these have been a pretty quiet Winter Meeting for the Braves and they probably did that by design. Alex Anthopoulos likes to work outside the public eye and has made it clear that the organization works hard to prevent leaks. However, there are cracks forming in that veil of secrecy and it sounds like Atlanta could be swinging big.