{"id":129952,"date":"2025-12-13T13:37:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T13:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=129952"},"modified":"2025-12-13T13:38:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T13:38:04","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8-exclusive-insight-robert-suarezs-decision-to-join-atlanta-wasnt-rushed-or-accidental-when-he-revealed-the-real-reason-behind-his-choice-it-added-a-new-layer-to-why-th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=129952","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT: Robert Su\u00e1rez\u2019s decision to join Atlanta wasn\u2019t rushed or accidental. When he revealed the real reason behind his choice, it added a new layer to why this move could matter far more than fans expected."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Braves on Thursday,\u00a0Robert Suarez\u00a0spoke about what led him to Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p>When asked why he chose the Braves over other interested teams, Suarez made it clear that the organization\u2019s reputation played a major role.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Next-move-Braves-must-make-after-adding-Robert-Suarez.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Next move Braves must make after adding Robert Suarez\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI continue to hear so many good things about the team, this organization, the way they treat their players, and the city of Atlanta itself,\u201d Suarez said via Lindsay Crosby of Locked on Braves.<\/p>\n<p>The 34-year-old right-hander also noted that he got some help from his new teammates during the process.<\/p>\n<p>He talked to outfielder\u00a0Jurickson Profar, who signed with Atlanta last offseason, and even got a voicemail from star outfielder\u00a0Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.\u00a0soon after.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/HOAOOV2ONNAGVYHRFWFCNBX7GU.jpg?auth=81779b860871fc5a96585683a880b7669c68d1f606391c10387d09146d4ef907&amp;width=1440\" alt=\"Reliever Robert Suarez, Padres agree to $46 million, five-year deal - The  Boston Globe\" \/><\/p>\n<p>That kind of outreach from current players clearly made a difference in his decision.<\/p>\n<h2>What Suarez Brings to Atlanta<\/h2>\n<p>Suarez is coming off an impressive 2025 campaign where he led the National League with 40 saves while posting a 2.97 ERA in 70 appearances for the San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fdad3-6.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/597564537_1161428262817881_2160866560573708711_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=833d8c&amp;_nc_eui2=AeFAtH3uL4P7kiQm0axD_pzukkl2z_gwLheSSXbP-DAuFzKwpHtfsxpgzOr1HqZ99AJOy9cnt3yFG9l7w4PGNf9q&amp;_nc_ohc=84B55GMotdUQ7kNvwFEsmFu&amp;_nc_oc=AdlOLG9ZA8Iaaon-2tcRU7RqX-6867Le9azXloRpBzpduEbOYwSehosIv2_kcN7Es_I47Z6McRtBM_YXI-YzR2V_&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fdad3-6.fna&amp;_nc_gid=_-NwwYTcZwYhuBRv1G5boQ&amp;oh=00_Aflc7sV7R8-iT99X0NDb-BNAc9TwDr6iIoQ0o-kO8tqLKg&amp;oe=69428BBF\" alt=\"C\u00f3 th\u1ec3 l\u00e0 h\u00ecnh \u1ea3nh v\u1ec1 v\u0103n b\u1ea3n cho bi\u1ebft 'a VMMA 00v \u00ae Litehouse MEDIA'\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He made his second straight All-Star team and struck out 75 batters in 69.2 innings. Over his four MLB seasons, Suarez has a career 2.91 ERA with 77 total saves.<\/p>\n<p>What makes Suarez so tough to hit is his electric fastball. His four-seamer averaged 98.6 mph last season and opponents hit just .155 against it.<\/p>\n<p>He threw the pitch over 60% of the time and it ranked among the best in baseball.<\/p>\n<p>Only a handful of pitchers like Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran, and Ryan Helsley threw harder.<\/p>\n<p>He also mixes in a changeup that sits around 90 mph and a sinker that clocks in at 98.4 mph, giving hitters different looks while still bringing the heat.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2241544387.jpg?w=1600&amp;h=900&amp;q=88\" alt=\"What To Know About The MLB Free Agency Period\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The hard-throwing reliever will slot into a setup role behind closer\u00a0Raisel Iglesias, giving Atlanta one of the best late-inning duos in baseball.<\/p>\n<p>Iglesias, who re-signed with the Braves in November on a one-year, $16 million deal, had 29 saves and a 3.21 ERA in 2025 while leading the NL with 57 games finished.<\/p>\n<h2>Braves Busy This Offseason<\/h2>\n<p>The Suarez signing is part of a flurry of moves by general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who is looking to bounce back after the Braves went 76-86 in 2025 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Atlanta finished fourth in the NL East, and it was their first losing season since that same year.<\/p>\n<p>The bullpen was a big problem last season, as Braves relievers posted the seventh-worst ERA in the National League at 4.19.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4399,h_2474\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_1440:810,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/133\/01kb5s61qcrch9j0ntjw.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Suarez - MLB News, Rumors, &amp; Updates | FOX Sports\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Along with Suarez, the Braves have added outfielder Mike Yastrzemski on a two-year, $23 million deal and acquired infielder Mauricio Dub\u00f3n from the Astros.<\/p>\n<p>They also brought back Iglesias after declining options on Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley earlier in the offseason.<\/p>\n<p>With these additions, Atlanta is sending a clear message that they are ready to compete again in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Braves on Thursday,\u00a0Robert Suarez\u00a0spoke about what led him to Atlanta. When asked why he chose the Braves over&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":129953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-129952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udea8 EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT: Robert Su\u00e1rez\u2019s decision to join Atlanta wasn\u2019t rushed or accidental. When he revealed the real reason behind his choice, it added a new layer to why this move could matter far more than fans expected. - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=129952\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8 EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT: Robert Su\u00e1rez\u2019s decision to join Atlanta wasn\u2019t rushed or accidental. When he revealed the real reason behind his choice, it added a new layer to why this move could matter far more than fans expected. - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Braves on Thursday,\u00a0Robert Suarez\u00a0spoke about what led him to Atlanta. 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