Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias locked up the save on Friday night to give the franchise their first winning record of the 2025 season. However, the save was far from smooth, with Iglesias needing additional run support to lock the game up. This continued a trend of consistent hard contact and Iglesias simply having lost the dominance that once defined his game. Still, the Braves are in a difficult position lacking other clear options.
Wander Suero has been the closer in Gwinnett, but isn't an enticing promotion option. The Braves simply lack an instant answer to one of the most pivotal positions. The team must be able to either help Iglesias quickly turn things around or begin to consider other options. In four of his last five outings, the Atlanta closer has allowed at least one earned run. This runs the veteran's ERA up to an alarming 5.89 on the season.
Raisel Iglesias is Making it Impossibly Clear That the Braves Must Explore Other Options
Atlanta could look to Pierce Johnson, who already has a save on the season. Additionally, the team could consider putting Craig Kimbrel into a role that the veteran seems ill-suited for at this stage of his career. Looking at in-house options Atlanta doesn't have a long list of proven veterans they can rely on as they attempt to climb back into the postseason race.
The best case scenario for Atlanta is this being the outlier for Iglesias, who is overdue for a run of dominance. The argument against this is the fact that the closer has already surpassed last year's home run total surrendered and is consistently being squared up. This isn't as simple as Iglesias having a bad game or two.
Atlanta's struggles closing out games are an extended run of Iglesias proving incapable of being a reliable option. Whether through the surprise emergence of an in-house option or a trade, Atlanta must begin to explore who else could close games for the team in the 2025 season.
Even on Friday nights converted save the veteran allowed traffic and gave up a run in what should have been an easy close-out spot. It is time for the Braves to admit there is a problem and become far more proactive in looking for answers.