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Struggling Braves Vet in Danger of Losing Job to Start May

A certain Atlanta Braves veteran could be in jeopardy of losing his job next month if he doesn't have a strong finish to April.
ByDevon Platana|
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (43) looks on against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark.
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (43) looks on against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

After an abysmal start to the 2025 MLB season, the Atlanta Braves are back on track.

Saturday's 8-7 extra-innings win over the Arizona Diamondbacks marked the seventh victory in the Braves' last eight games, improving their season record to 12-14 in the process. The club's recent success wouldn't have been made possible without their bats waking up, as the Braves are averaging 5.9 runs during their eight-game run.

As fun as it's been to see all those runs scored, the Braves still have plenty of improvements to make — including when it comes to the bullpen. Atlanta currently owns the 11th-worst bullpen ERA (4.22) in the Majors, and a chunk of those struggles stems from a certain underperforming reliever who's in danger of losing his job.

Braves Closer Raisel Iglesias in Danger of Losing Job to Start May

Before the 2025 MLB season began, it'd be silly to imagine Braves closer Raisel Iglesias being on thin ice. The 35-year-old right solidified himself as one of baseball's top closing arms since joining Atlanta, having gone 11-6 with a 2.30 ERA, 67 saves, and 136 strikeouts across 125 innings in 124 relief appearances between the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been the same Iglesias on the mound this season.

Through his first 10 relief appearances in 2025, the Cuban closer is 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA after giving up five homers and seven earned runs on nine hits across 10 innings. He's only picked up four saves while blowing two opportunities, one of which on Saturday when Diamondbacks infielder Eugenio Suárez hit the tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Closers can be erratic, so it wouldn't surprise Braves fans if Iglesias returned to form as early as this week. Having said that, the fact that he's now given up two HRs and four earned runs on five hits in his last two outings alone (two innings) could be a cause for concern.

In other words, Father Time is finally catching up to Iglesias, and the last thing Atlanta needs is for his glaring gaffs to halt the club's newfound momentum.

If Iglesias doesn't turn things around to begin May, the Braves could look for different closing options. One option would be to call up former closer Craig Kimbrel, who's pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the minors this season, recording seven strikeouts with a 0.188 WHIP along the way.

Kimbrel, 36, has pitched more innings with the Braves (289) than any of the seven other MLB clubs he's played for. He went 15-10 with a 1.43 ERA in the 294 relief appearances he made in an Atlanta jersey, registering a franchise-record 186 saves with 476 strikeouts mixed in.

Hopefully, Iglesias will rediscover his groove to help the Braves with their playoff push. Fortunately, FanDuel Sportsbook is currently favoring Brian Snitker's club to qualify for the 2025 MLB playoffs at -188 odds — an implied probability of 65.3%.

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