Braves Predicted to Cut Ties With Recent Award Winner Despite How Questionable It'd Be

Getty

Brian Snitker looks on during a game against the Diamondbacks.

There’s no secret that the Atlanta Braves have arguably been the most disappointing team in Major League Baseball, and there are a few reasons for that.

The Braves had dealt with some injuries again, players haven’t played as well as many were expecting them to, and other reasons. Ultimately, most of the team has struggled, outside of a few players. At the top of that list is Raisel Iglesias, who has been one of the better relievers in MLB over the past month.

Iglesias had his struggles earlier in the campaign, posting a 4.34 ERA as of Aug. 9. Fast forward to September, and Iglesias has been just as good as ever, lowering his ERA to 3.81. Despite the resurgence over the past month, some believe he’s as good as gone this offseason, including FanSided’s Christopher Kline, who predicted he’d depart.

“The Atlanta Braves will have a few consequential club options, but Chris Sale ($18 million) and Ozzie Albies ($7 million) feel like locks to stick around. As such, this comes down to Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias. It was a bit shocking when both veterans survived the trade deadline, but Alex Anthopoulos tends to believe in his guys and it’s clear the Braves hope to contend next season…

“The Braves should try to keep him, and it should come at a relatively affordable, short-term price, but there is also a rabid market for high-leverage relievers. We can’t be sure that Iglesias’ going rate won’t balloon to a point that makes Anthopoulos squeamish. The Braves typically lock up their guys ahead of time to avoid the pricey competition of the open market, so the fact that Iglesias is hitting free agency — even after surviving the trade deadline, against all odds — does not bode especially well for the Braves’ odds of keeping him,” Kline wrote .

Do the Braves Want Raisel Iglesias Long-Term?

The Atlanta Braves will ultimately have to decide if they want to keep players like Iglesias around and try to win a World Series next season. Not only do the Braves have a decision to make with Iglesias, but players like Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, and others could be gone depending on what the Braves want to do with trades and allowing other free agents to walk.

Should the Braves let Raisel Iglesias Walk?

One could also argue right now that the Atlanta Braves should allow Iglesias to sign with a contending team. With the Braves out of the playoff picture, they might be doing the veteran a favor.

Iglesias is coming off a National League reliever of the month award, as announced by the league.

“The 35-year-old pitched to a 0.69 ERA (1 ER/13.0 IP) while converting each of his 10 save opportunities across 13 appearances in which he allowed eight hits with no walks, 13 strikeouts, a 0.62 WHIP, a .170 opponents’ average and 9.00 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.

“The Cuba native led the Majors in saves; was one of seven qualified relievers to not allow a walk; and ranked 10th in WHIP among qualified relievers. He has converted 12 consecutive save opportunities dating back to July 28th, leading all relievers with a 0.8 fWAR during th-=[e stretch,” MLB.com wrote.

A contender would love to add an arm of his caliber.

Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan