There hasn't been much worth celebrating for Atlanta Braves fans this season. However, some bright spots have popped up here and there. Drake Baldwin and Hurston Waldrep have put up some impressive rookie campaigns and there have been a few fun moments, but the list dries up pretty quickly after that.
It's been one of the roughest seasons for Atlanta since the team was rebuilt years ago. There were a couple of players on expiring contracts that felt destined for trades in July before the deadline. But the organization held on to them, and it felt like a mistake at the time.
However, Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias had hurt their trade value by underperforming horribly and Atlanta didn't get an offer that suited them before the deadline passed. Thankfully, both have rebounded a bit, especially Iglesias who has been borderline unhittable lately. For Iglesias' good work last month, he was even named the National League Reliever of the Month for August.
Iggy in August:
— Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSNBraves) September 3, 2025
13 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 K, 0.69 ERA, 10 SV 👏👏 https://t.co/YJA87MFRpv
Raisel Iglesias wins NL Reliever of the Month in surprising 2025 turnaround
Iggy put up some impressive numbers over 13 innings with just one earned run allowed on eight hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out 13 batters. His ERA finished at 0.69 for the month with 10 saves.
This dropped his season ERA to 3.81 over 56.2 innings with 10 walks and 61 strikeouts. It's a far cry from his dominant 2024 season, but he's made a strong case for himself to be picked up in the offseason. I'm sure some contenders are kicking themselves for not trading for the veteran closer.
Looking into his Statcast page, you see that Iglesias still has elite stuff. He remains outstanding in his metrics for walks, strikeouts, whiffs, chases, and hard-hit percentage. The main concerns lie with his barrel rate, decreased average fastball velocity, and groundball percentage.
The Braves find themselves in an interesting situation because they need to improve the bullpen in the offseason. Iglesias still looks like a dependable option, but there's risk involved due to his slider's decreased effectiveness and being another year older (he will be 36 next season).
If they can bring him back on an affordable contract, they'd be wise to. Maybe Iglesias will be willing to come back on a one-year deal to try and prove himself worthy of a longer contract. It will be interesting to see what his market looks like in the offseason.