Raisel Iglesias has had a nice run as the Atlanta Braves closer since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the 2022 trade deadline. In the last two years the Cuba native converted 67 out of 75 save chances with a 2.38 ERA. However, the wheels have seemingly come off in 2025.
What is Wrong with Raisel Iglesias?
The falloff was always inevitable for the 35-year-old, as his underlying metrics have been trending in the wrong direction for some time now. However, no one could have predicted just how much he has struggled this year as we approach June. Through 18 1/3 innings (not including his appearance Thursday night in a non-save opportunity), Iglesias holds a 5.89 ERA, 5.97 FIP, and -0.6 bWAR. Additionally, he has already blown three saves, one shy of his total from a year ago.
After leading all qualified Braves pitchers in xwOBA against and xERA last year, Iglesias is shockingly dead last in both categories entering Friday’s action. Each of his four pitches has seen a noticeable decline in velocity, and all are getting hit hard consistently. He’s already given up eight barrels after allowing just seven all of last year. That is simply unacceptable from the team’s most important reliever.
CIN – Rece Hinds 2-run HR (1)
Distance: 407 ft
EV: 107.6 mph
LA: 23°
82.7 mph slider (ATL – RHP Raisel Iglesias)
Would be out in 30/30 MLB parks
CIN (4) @ ATL (2)
9th#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/1u4sgfHBkd
— MLB Home Runs
(@MLBHRs_) May 9, 2025
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Raisel Iglesias is in the final year of his contract, and management will have to consider replacing him at closer if he can’t turn things around. Internal options are limited, with Daysbel Hernandez representing the most logical choice based on performance, but he is still quite inexperienced in the big leagues. Anyone banking on Craig Kimbrel getting the call and turning back the clock to 2011 is kidding themselves. A trade might be on the horizon, so let’s examine some closers who Atlanta could realistically target.
Potential Replacements
Felix Bautista
Entering the season, Bautista was the furthest thing from a trade candidate. However, the once-vaunted Baltimore Orioles are an absolute dumpster fire, currently holding the third-worst winning percentage in baseball. Some have speculated that they could look to return value on the 6′ 8″ righty, who racked up 33 saves with a 1.48 ERA in 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery toward the end of that year, and has scuffled a bit with a 4.30 ERA in his return to the mound. However, Bautista is a dominant stopper when healthy and would be a big upgrade for the Braves in the ninth inning. It would take a big haul to land him, as he’s controllable for two more years after this one. That said, Baltimore would almost certainly find pitching prospects like Hurston Waldrep and JR Ritchie interesting, since six of their top seven prospects are position players.
Ryan Helsley
St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley has been a popular name in trade rumors for a while now, and for good reason. He converted 49 out of 53 save chances with a 2.04 ERA in a dominant 2024 campaign. St. Louis has been surprisingly competitive at 27-23, but Helsley is a free agent at season’s end and they would be wise to flip him at the deadline. Enter the Braves, whose bullpen the 30-year-old would immediately fortify with his blazing fastball and soul-crushing slider. GM Alex Anthopoulos is probably less likely to bite on a rental like Helsley, but he has easily the most talent of any name here at this point in time.
Pete Fairbanks
We know how the Tampa Bay Rays like to flip top players just before it comes time to sign them long-term, and Fairbanks has a $7 million club option for 2026 before hitting free agency. The team is likely going nowhere this year, and the Missouri alum should be a popular name in trade talks before the deadline. After a slight down year in 2024 (3.57 ERA, 3.50 FIP), Fairbanks has rebounded with a 2.25 and 2.43 through 20 innings this season. He still has a great fastball/slider combo at age 31 and is 99th percentile at limiting barrels, quite the opposite from Raisel Iglesias. If the price is too steep for the top closer targets on the market, Alex Anthopoulos would be wise to check in on the longtime Rays stopper.
Kenley Jansen
Hello, old friend. Jansen saved 41 games for Atlanta in 2022 before signing with the Boston Red Sox the following offseason and allowing Iglesias to take over the closer role. He now finds himself closing games for the Angels, where his surface stats look mostly solid outside of a six-run blowup on May 2nd against the Detroit Tigers. However, the future Hall of Famer is now 37, and his frosty blue Statcast page, which includes a first percentile average exit velocity against of 94.4 mph, tells the story of a pitcher whose stuff is in decline. It’s questionable how much Jansen has left in the tank, but the experience would be extremely valuable. He ranks fourth all-time in saves behind Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, and Lee Smith.
Liam Hendriks
The only name on this list that isn’t currently his team’s acting closer, Hendriks would be the riskiest option to acquire and insert into a ninth-inning role. That said, he’s just three years removed from saving 37 games with a 2.81 ERA. Of course, Hendriks has endured Tommy John surgery and a scary bout with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the years since, and is battling to regain his prior form. The Aussie recently made headlines when asked to describe his current role with the Boston Red Sox, saying “No rhyme or reason. I have no idea. It’s actually a source of contention that I’ve had with (the team) and I’ve had multiple conversations about.” Those sound like the words of a man who will be on the move soon, and Atlanta could certainly look to take a chance on the three-time All-Star.
Photo Credit: © Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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