Amid the Atlanta Braves' 2025 misery, a common theme is overwhelming frustration with manager Brian Snitker. As accomplished as the Atlanta skipper might be, there simply isn't any defense for a long list of bad decisions throughout the season. The team's epic collapse against the Arizona Diamondbacks and the following moves serve as the most glaring example. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead, the manager pulled Grant Holmes in the 4th inning after the starter gave up three runs.
This suggested a needed level of urgency to the game. However, Snitker would lose this when long reliever Scott Blewett was clearly out of gas. The pitcher wasn't finding outs, and the manager waited too long to pull the veteran before handing the game over to Raisel Iglesias to do what the veteran reliever does best. Atlanta's collapse was complete, but it would be the wrong player paying the price for the collapse.
Braves Made an Awful Decision Parting Ways With Reliever Scott Blewett
Atlanta called up Craig Kimbrel and would make room on the roster by parting ways with the reliever. While the call-up of Kimbrel was long overdue, it was an awful decision that rests on the shoulders of the front office and the management of Brian Snitker. Yes, there is no defense of Blewett, who was objectively awful on Thursday. However, this has consistently been the case for relievers Raisel Iglesias and Rafael Montero, who were both far more deserving of a demotion.
Twice in extra innings, the Braves turned to Blewett with the ghost runner on base, and the veteran wiggled his way out of the jam both times. Even with Thursday's train wreck of an outing, the previous four appearances from the veteran were all scoreless. This included a key moment when the Braves badly needed to eat innings after an unexpected injury.
Blewett has done his job at a high level before Thursday and didn't deserve the demotion. It is Iglesias and Snitker who should be paying for the team's continual willful decision to put the closer on the mound in high-leverage situations. No matter how many times Iglesias has shown you it is an awful decision, the Braves continue to attempt to make the move.
Iglesias might have the higher salary, but there isn't any debate that Blewett has been consistently more reliable than the Braves' closer. Parting ways with the veteran is a mistake the team may quickly regret. For Blewett, it shouldn't be difficult to find a new landing spot, perhaps with a manager and front office capable of making reasonable decisions that show a desire to win.