The Atlanta Braves’ 2025 season has been a rollercoaster, with their bullpen woes at the forefront of their struggles.
As the team battles to stay in the National League playoff race, one pitcher’s persistent issues have sparked heated debate among fans and analysts about whether he should remain in high-leverage roles—or be benched entirely.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently weighed in with a scathing assessment, arguing that the Braves’ faith in this reliever is misplaced and could jeopardize their postseason hopes.
“Raisel Iglesias … (is) a reliever whose appearances have been anything but a relief,” Miller wrote.
“MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported over a week ago that the 35-year-old ‘won’t necessarily be the Braves’ primary closer’ anymore. However, we’ve yet to find out who the primary closer is, as save chances have been preposterously scarce for Atlanta over the past month. Since Iglesias’ last save on May 16, Atlanta’s entire pitching staff has tallied three holds (including one by Iglesias last week), three blown saves (one by Iglesias; two by Pierce Johnson) and nary a successful save. Even though it was an eighth inning appearance, Iglesias did pitch in Atlanta’s only save situation in more than a week. That means it does still have some faith in him in high-leverage situations. It shouldn’t. That goes beyond the four blown saves in his first 12 chances, at which point he had a 6.75 ERA. Across his full four-pitch repertoire, Iglesias’ velocity is down about one mph from what it was last season.”
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“The slider that used to be his best whiff-inducing pitch has been relentlessly demolished, already allowing as many home runs off sliders (five) as he did in the previous five seasons combined,” Miller continued.
“Opponents are also hitting his changeup more consistently than ever before. Releasing him and his $16 million salary is probably out of the question for Atlanta, but it should start deploying him in low-leverage situations until he at least shows some signs of being ready and able to deliver the goods again. Because a blown save in a hold spot within the next week could be the final straw, both for Iglesias and the team’s 2025 season.”
Iglesias’ struggles are undeniable. The slider has become a liability, and his fastball velocity has further diminished his effectiveness.
Braves manager Brian Snitker has defended Iglesias, and ultimately, the Braves lack a clear alternative closer.
Miller’s call to shift Iglesias to low-leverage situations makes sense given his current form, but Atlanta’s depleted bullpen complicates the decision.
Trading for a proven closer like Ryan Helsley or Pete Fairbanks could provide relief, but the Braves are more likely to be sellers.
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