Trade Pitch Sees Braves Land MLB's Hardest Thrower in ‘Outrageous’ Move

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Manager Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves have suffered a season of disappointment so far. The 2021 World Series champs who have made it to the postseason seven years in a row are in serious danger of seeing that streak end. Past the halfway point of the season, the 2025 edition of the Braves are languishing in third place in the National League East, 10 1/2 games off the pace set by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Obviously, the problems in Atlanta are complicated. But one area that absolutely needs an upgrade is the back of the bullpen. Manager Brian Snitker has been relying on 35-year-old Raisel Iglesias, who has been erratic at best. Though the Cuban-born righty saved 34 games for Atlanta last year, and 33 the year before that, with just four blown save opportunities in each year, the 2025 season looks a little different.

Iglesias has recorded just nine saves so far, and has blown four already. The Braves will be done with him after this season when his four-year, $58 million contract expires.

Big Upgrade in Closer Role for Atlanta

A trade proposed by Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report on Sunday would solve Atlanta’s high-leverage relief problem not only for the remainder of this season, but potentially for the next three seasons as well.

And the trade outlined by the B/R writer would represent a significant upgrade — if only because it would bring in the single hardest thrower in baseball, as determined by Statcast figures — one who has recorded 15 saves for a team that, at 34-52 prior to Monday’s action, has won four fewer games than Atlanta.

That pitcher is Mason Miller, the 26-year-old closer for the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics. Converted to the bullpen just last season after breaking in as a starter in 2023, Miller instantly became one of of the game’s most dominant and intimidating closers.

According to Statcast figures, Miller leads all Major League pitchers with an average velocity on his four-seam fastball of 100.8 miles per hour. The fastest pitch he has yet thrown as a big leaguer, as recorded by Statcast, was a blinding 103.6 mph, coming during Miller’s appearance in last year’s All Star game.

Iglesias, by contrast, ranks 160th in average velocity on his four-seamer, at 94.5 mph.

Athletics Would be Investing in Future Arms

The B/R writer admits that the trade idea seems “outrageous,” but justifies the potential deal because “even with Miller pumping gas when save situations arise, the Athletics’ pitching staff is doing its darndest to keep pace with the Rockies for most runs allowed this season.”

“Giving up a known commodity in Miller with 4.5 years of team control remaining might seem counterintuitive,” wrote B/R’s Miller. “But turning a guy who might give you 70 great innings in a season into two starters and a plausible closer is worth exploring.”

Who are those three pitchers? According to the B/R trade proposal, they are all among the top 20 prospects in the Braves’ farm system.

Drue Hackenburg, the Braves No. 4 overall prospect and the organization’s third-round draft pick in 2023. The 23-year-old currently at the Double-A level “has provided an intriguing combination of missing bats and getting groundball outs in the Minors. He throws both a four- and two-seam fastball, with the former up to 97 and averaging 94.7 mph last year and the latter averaging over 93 mph,” according to MLB Pipeline.

Lucas Braun, another Double-A righty ranked at No. 9 in the Braves’s system. “All of Braun’s stuff plays up because he can throw any pitch for strikes, with a 67-percent strike rate in 2024, and it was encouraging to see him be more effective as he moved up a level with the promotion to Double-A,” per the Pipeline scouting report.

And finally…

Rolddy Muñoz, the No. 20 Braves prospect now pitching with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. Already 25 years old, Muñoz was a low-profile signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He’s been held back by his trouble throwing strikes, but now appears to be on track to take over a high-leverage role in the Majors with a four-seamer that averages between 97 and 98 mph, and has occasionally reached triple digits, according to MLB Pipeline.

Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin