Offseason Monitor: The Braves Overnight Shopping Spree
The Atlanta Braves kicked off their offseason last night with a pair of moves
Braves Re-Sign Raisel Iglesias
Atlanta’s first move was bringing back Raisel Iglesias on a one-year $16 million deal. The Dodgers reportedly made a similar offer, and the Blue Jays had interest as well, but the Braves ultimately retained their 35-year-old closer.
It was not an easy start to 2025 for Iglesias. Blowing five saves early in the year, carrying a 5+ ERA through June. Racking up 10 saves in the month of August, something flipped the switch around the midsummer classic.
If we take a look at some advanced stats on the Tableau Dashboard some things stand out:
Groundball rate: fell from 45% in 2024 to 32% in 2025
BABIP: jumped from .199 → .257
Those trends prompted a deeper look at his pitch usage.
In 2024, his pitch mix was far more effective:
vs RHB: Slider was his go-to at 34.5% (25.3% swinging-strike rate)
vs LHB: Changeup dominated, inducing a 66.7% ground ball rate (44.1% usage)
But in 2025, the approach shifted dramatically:
vs RHB: He leaned on his sinker 36% of the time (4.4% swinging-strike rate)
vs LHB: He used his four-seam fastball 47.9% (15.8% groundball rate)
Considering Iglesias’ average fastball & sinker velocity hangs around 94-95 MPH, it simply doesn’t miss enough bats to be effective. The earlier struggles make sense given the pitch-mix change — and honestly, it’s surprising the issues didn’t persist all season.
If Iglesias is able to rely on his slider / changeup combination, there is a much better chance we see a dominant closer like we have seen in the past. Atlanta is clearly betting on a more consistent 2026 as he enters his age-36 season, and the payday reflects their faith.
FANTASY DRAFT IMPLICATIONS
Iglesias has been cheap in early drafts, going as the RP9 early on.
Some of that had to do with the down year in 2025. But mostly it was about the uncertainty of where he’d land. It was possible he’d end up on a team that wouldn’t use him as their main closer. Being back in Atlanta, there are no questions about him being the ninth-inning guy. This signing will push him up a few slots in the RP ranks going forward. You can track all of that on the NFBC ADP Analysis Dashboard.
Trade with the Houston Astros
Later on in the evening, the Braves completed a trade with the Houston Astros, sending infielder Nick Allen in return for utilityman Mauricio Dubón.
On paper, this seems like a win for the Braves. Dubón brings a lot to the table in terms of positional flexibility. In fact, he was everywhere on the diamond last year besides pitching & catching. Neither player flashes greatness at the plate. Not going to lie, it is extremely ugly looking at the analytics for these guys.
Nick Allen’s sub-600 OPS and a 0% Brl% tell you all you need to know. The bat is non-existent. He is going to give the Astros a great glove at shortstop, and that is mostly it. Maybe they can tap into something with the bat, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Dubón does not strike out and plays great defensively as well. Going into his age-32 season, Mauricio will provide the Braves with slightly more production from the shortstop position. If nothing else, the Braves will have a premium utility option, granted they pursue the shortstop free agent market, signing Bichette or Ha-Seong Kim back. Both of those seem less than likely at this point.
Final Thoughts
These moves will quickly be forgotten by most after this weekend. Atlanta addresses two areas of need as it tries to turn this solid core into a World Series contender in 2026. These two moves are not big-time needle movers, but they show that they’re looking to improve their roster this winter. It was a good start, and they have positioned themselves well to make a much bigger splash via free agency or the trade market.