The Atlanta Braves bullpen has been under siege for most of the season. Beginning the season without Joe Jimenez proved to be painful and while Raisel Iglesias' turnaround recently has been great, the fact remains that the Braves' relievers rank in the bottom five in baseball this season. As a result, it actually isn't all that surprising that Atlanta took a bit of a gamble on Alexis Diaz with their recent waiver claim.
No one realistically thinks that Diaz is going to all of a sudden become an All-Star again for the last few weeks of the season, but he is talented enough to at least get himself in the conversation for a big league spot in 2026 if he pitches well. Once the Braves claimed him off of waivers, the question then became whose spot he would take on Atlanta's active roster.
As it turns out, the Braves don't have a shortage of expendable relievers as they not only added Diaz to their roster, but they recalled Connor Seabold as well while optioning Rolddy Muñoz to Triple-A and designated John Brebbia for assignment.
The #Braves today reported RHP Alexis Díaz to Atlanta and recalled RHP Connor Seabold. The club optioned RHP Rolddy Munoz to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game, and designated RHP John Brebbia for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 8, 2025
Braves make Alexis Diaz addition official, option Rolddy Muñoz and DFA John Brebbia
After getting shelled by the Mariners over the weekend, there is a strong need for some fresh bullpen arms. Diaz being added was a given, but Seabold was another recent waiver claim and he pitched pretty well in five appearances for Gwinnett which is an admittedly small sample of innings. Seabold also comes with some big league experience, although you may want to avert your eyes if you look at his actual production in the majors.
The Braves went with Muñoz for their bullpen when rosters expanded and unfortunately, he was one of the reliever that Seattle beat up and the odds he would be available anytime soon anyways were very small, so optioning him makes loads of sense. Atlanta brought Brebbia back on a MiLB deal in June for some added bullpen depth, but his three appearances with Atlanta this season went rather poorly and the Braves wasted little time in cutting him loose.
The end of the 2025 season should be about experimentation given where the Braves sit in the standings. There are no guarantees at all with Diaz or Seabold, but Atlanta is doing the right thing in testing out as many options as possible ahead of what is turning out to be a critical offseason.