Don't look now, but the Atlanta Braves have actually managed to get...hot? After winning four out of five against the surging Marlins, many fans have a sense of ironic pleasure in the club finally deciding to play passable baseball when the team is 12 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot.
The biggest reason for this run of good baseball for Atlanta is the second half turnaround from many of their regulars. Marcell Ozuna and Michael Harris II in particular have sparked a resurgent Braves offense in the second half. However, the name we'll focus on in this piece is the one reliever every fan was shocked wasn't dealt at the trade deadline - Raisel Iglesias.
Raisel Iglesias' turnaround makes it all the more infuriating the Braves didn't trade him at the deadline
Just like the team itself, 2025 started off about as poorly as it could have for Raisel Iglesias. The normally trusted closer struggled so much in the first half that he was eventually removed from the ninth inning altogether. To his credit, Iglesias has found a way to at least confirm he isn't on his way out the Major Leagues just yet.
On the season, Iglesias sports a career high 4.34 ERA and 3.82 FIP which would be the third highest in any single season during his 11 year career. That type of regression plus the remaining around $7 million on his contract in 2025 was a big reason why Alex Anthopoulos couldn't land a trade partner for Iglesias this past July.
Unfortunately/fortunately, all Iglesias has done over the past two months is revert back into the stud reliever we know him to be. Since June 9, Iglesias has a 1.90 ERA and 1.93 FIP across 23.2 innings of work. Hard to believe a trusted late inning arm for nearly a decade now couldn't fetch any prospects at the deadline when relievers were flying off the shelves.
Most fans that still tune into the Braves nightly would tell you they are watching for Drake Baldwin Rookie of the Year watch, and the development of prospects like Hurston Waldrep. However, as we focus on the youngsters in the second half, Iglesias has made it abundantly clear his career isn't quite over. One would have thought the early makings of this nice run for Raisel back in early June would have been enough to make any team bite on a trade.
Sadly, it was never meant to be and the timing of Iglesias' turnaround may have been just a hair too late. This is why the Braves missed out of acquiring any type of prospect return for Raisel, and instead will watch him pitch his way into free agency this winter and get nothing for it.