Raisel Iglesias
Finally, we come to Raisel Iglesias. Just to be clear, Iglesias has been an excellent addition to the Braves' bullpen ever since they acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline. He was absolutely unhittable in 2022 after the trade and the 2023 season saw him post a 2.75 ERA in 58 appearances with 68 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work. Overall, he has been a stud.
The only reason he is on this list is because of the position he plays, the amount he is getting paid, and some mildly concerning trends. Iglesias will make $16 million a year for the next two seasons. For a reliever, that is a lot of money especially given how volatile relievers can be when it comes to health and performance over time. Iglesias is also 34 years old and saw hitters squaring up his fastball a lot more in 2023 while seeing his walk rate tick upwards. Any one of these factors could be written off by themselves, but taken together does seem to indicate a player that could underperform next season.
Iglesias 2024 salary sets a pretty high bar that he has to clear to justify the cost. If he remains the Braves' primary closer and he is nails, then $16 million a year is more than fair. If he falters basically at all and/or the Braves start favoring other options in high leverage situations, his deal could become one that the Braves look to move in a trade in the next year or so.