The Atlanta Braves have added another free agent in a matter of days.
A report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan earlier today announced that former Padres closer Robert Suarez has agreed to a three-year deal with the NL East club, worth $45 million. He will earn $13 million in 2026 and then $16 million in 2027 and 2028, while Suarez has also agreed to donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation (worth $450,000).
Suarez was one of the top closers on the free agent market following the signing of Edwin Diaz (Dodgers) and Ryan Helsley (Orioles), with the former Padres hurler looking for a multi-year deal after opting out of his remaining contract with San Diego this winter.
BREAKING: Closer Robert Suarez and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a three-year, $45 million contract, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2025
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The 34-year-old Venezuelan hurler is an interesting player, as he spent his early career playing overseas in Japan before coming stateside during the 2021/2022 offseason.
Across four seasons with the Padres, Suarez has authored a 2.91 ERA and a 3.36 FIP across 210 innings and 206 appearances. A back-end arm early in his career, Suarez became one of the go-to arms for the Padres in the closer’s spot in 2024, where he collected 36 saves, and resumed the role again in 2025, racking up 40 saves. A strike thrower who can tough triple-digits with his fastball, Suarez works mostly north to south in the zone, utilizing a changeup and a sinker when he’s not throwing his four-seamer, a pitch he uses 63.4% of the time.
Suarez did give up some hard contact last season, ranking in the 16th percentile in average exit velocity (90.5 MPH) and in the 31st percentile in Hard-Hit% (42.6), but he was able to limit the damage with the heater, holding opposing bats to a .214xBA while generating a 24.0% whiff rate and a +15 pitching run value.
This deal comes right on the heels of yesterday’s Mike Yastrzemski two-year pact, with the Braves adding some new faces to a squad that missed out on the 2025 postseason. The club also re-signed Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million contract earlier this offseason, so it appears the two will work in tandem at the back end of the Braves’ relief corps.
With Suarez off the board, the remaining closers/set-up pitchers still available include Pete Fairbanks, Luke Weaver, Kenley Jansen, Tyler Rogers, and Seranthony Dominguez.
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