Braves’ Sharp Shift in Free Agency Approach Signals More Change Is Coming

By signing reliever Robert Suarez and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski in the span of 24 hours, Atlanta has given itself flexibility to further improve.

The Braves have been one of the most aggressive teams in free agency thus far, adding outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (left) and reliever Robert Suarez (right) to the roster. / Dennis Lee/Imagn Images and Denis Poroy/Imagn Images

After largely eschewing outside improvement last offseason en route to a fourth-place finish in the National League East, the Braves have suddenly become one of MLB’s most active teams in free agency over the last 24 hours.

Atlanta signed relief pitcher Robert Suarez, who led the National League with 40 saves in 2025, to a three-year, $45 million contract on Thursday and inked outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year, $23 million deal Wednesday night. Both deals were somewhat surprising; the Braves had retained incumbent closer Raisel Iglesias on a one-year, $16 million pact last month and already rostered three starting outfielders in Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II and Jurickson Profar. But the front office clearly felt more talent was needed after the Braves’ win total decreased by 13 wins last season as they slumped to a 76–86 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017. 

The Braves have now signed three of Sports Illustrated’s top 40 free agents; the Orioles (Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley) are the only other team to sign more than one so far. Atlanta signed just one free agent to a contract worth more than $1.5 million last offseason; Profar agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal and was suspended for 80 games due to PED use less than a week into the season. That was one of many things that went wrong for the franchise this year, and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is clearly hoping a shake-up will lead to drastically different results in 2026. 

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Atlanta fielded MLB’s ninth-highest payroll last season at $220 million, about $21 million below the luxury tax threshold. As of now, they have the third-highest projected 2026 payroll at $227 million, per Spotrac, behind only the Dodgers and Mets.

Suarez has made the All-Star team in each of the last two years; he and Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz are the only relievers to do so. The soon-to-be 35-year-old recorded a 2.97 ERA and career-best 2.88 FIP in 2025, striking out 75 batters and walking 16 in 69 2/3 innings. But the righthander is nevertheless expected to work as a setup man for Iglesias, who recorded a 1.76 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in the second half of last season after an ugly first half.

Yastrzemski was traded from the Giants to the Royals at the trade deadline and put up much better power numbers away from San Francisco’s famously homer-averse home field. He slashed .237/.339/.500 in 50 games for Kansas City—a small sample size, but the Braves would be thrilled if the 35-year-old could replicate those results in Atlanta’s hitter-friendly Truist Park.

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has a number of other moves he could make to improve the roster this offseason. / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

This week’s moves almost certainly won’t be the only major additions Atlanta makes before spring training. While new manager Walt Weiss could platoon Yastrzemski and Profar in left field, it’d be quite expensive to do so since they’re making a combined $24 million (Profar for $15M, Yastrzemski for $9M). In addition to their four starting-level outfielders, the Braves also have two catchers in Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy who are too good for part-time duty. That should give Anthopoulos the flexibility to trade for a shortstop—he already dealt for former Astro Mauricio Dubón last month, but he’s best in a utility role—or further upgrade the pitching staff. Murphy, who has three years and $45 million remaining on his contract, in addition to a $15 million 2029 club option, seems like the most likely candidate to be moved after Baldwin burst onto the scene last season and was named the NL Rookie of the Year. That would free up the designated hitter slot to rotate the outfielders through. 

When the Braves entered the 2022 postseason as defending World Series champions and five-time reigning NL East champs, it seemed they were set up to dominate the decade. They had Harris, Murphy, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies all under team control through at least 2027. Instead, they’ve yet to win another postseason series since triumphing in the Fall Classic, going 2–6 in two NLDS losses to the Phillies and a wild-card loss to the Padres. Even those results were a far cry from last season’s disaster.

Anthopoulos has come to the realization that the core he locked up a few years ago isn’t good enough on its own to win another championship. Suarez and Yastrzemski alone won’t push the Braves back into the postseason, but their additions are a sign that more changes are coming in Atlanta.

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