It has been a while since Atlanta Braves fans have heard the name Nacho Alvarez Jr. and with good reason. While Alvarez Jr. was an intriguing infield prospect with a strong glove and great ball-to-ball skills, injuries have caused all sorts of problems. After his 2025 season got shortened due to multiple IL stints with wrist and oblique issues, Alvarez Jr. got off to a slow start at Triple-A before another injury knocked him out. He has not played a game since May 20, and now his tenure with the Braves has come to an end.
The trade deadline is upon us, and one area of the roster that the Braves hadn't really touched at all is the bullpen. Sure, Bailey Falter technically counts, but he always felt like a guy that Atlanta was just going to stash at Triple-A. However, the Braves just added LHP Brent Suter in exchange for Nacho and while Suter is almost 37 years old, he actually fits the Braves' needs pretty well.
Trade news: The Atlanta Braves are acquiring left-handed reliever Brent Suter from the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr., sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 3, 2026
Braves add Brent Suter as another lefty in their bullpen, but it cost them the injured Nacho Alvarez Jr.
It is unfortunate that Alvarez Jr. didn't work out with the Braves, because he was a fun story and pretty talented. Hopefully he kills it out west, but this is a move that is another low-cost move that does bring in some needed bullpen support.
The Braves had been light on lefty bullpen arms. Dylan Lee is great, but he has also been heavily used and usually gets used in high leverage situations regardless of who is at the plate. Dylan Dodd has also been good as a multi-inning reliever, but he actually performs better against righties, which has left Atlanta with just Danny Young to neutralize left-handed hitters. That strategy has been questionable at best.
In Suter, Atlanta is getting a guy that has bottom-of-the-scale fastball velocity, but who has elite extension and is great at getting weak ground balls. Oddly, Suter has actually performed worse against lefties this season, but he has historically been better against lefties in his career, and should benefit from having a much better defense behind him than the woeful Angels infield.
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