Potential Braves 2026 Bullpen Promising After Recent Additions

The Atlanta Braves' bullpen should be in a solid spot heading into opening day after some key moves

Here is what the Braves bullpen could look like | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Two major signings during the offseason have anchored the Atlanta Braves' bullpen for 2026. They have their closer and their setup man ready to go. All-Stars back-to-back should help build some confidence in the team’s ability to put the dagger in to seal the deal. 

However, that’s just two guys. Starters aren’t always going to go seven innings, and they won’t always be in the lead. Perhaps, they want to play matchups or an arm needs a night off. Once the roster is all set, there will be a group of about eight guys rounding out the bullpen. 

Let’s take a chance to try to fill out the remaining six spots here. Pitchers emerge and drop off all the time. You never know. However, we can make the best-informed projection of who could be in the Braves' bullpen for 2026. After that, we'll look into why this setup can work.

To make this a little easier, let’s fill the bullpen with a couple more long-term options still on the roster. Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer are guaranteed to be back next season. The former was tendered, and the latter was already signed for 2026. Joel Payamps was brought back on a major league contract. It can be projected that he’ll be in the bullpen, too. 

Right there, we’ve gotten five of the eight guys figured out, including Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez. After that, it’ll take some more guessing. 

Daysbel Hernandez is certainly still in the mix despite his chaotic second half of the year. He was injured and up and down in the minor leagues. He’ll have a chance to ramp back up and have a shot at remaining a consistent piece of the bullpen. 

Then, there are young options such as Hayden Harris and Jhancarlos Lara. Both are two of the more talked-about top-30 prospects in the system. Both will be under the microscope in Spring Training. 

There is also the possibility that Grant Holmes or Reynaldo Lopez end up in the bullpen. The plan is to stretch them out as starters this spring, but it’s a fallback plan for the team to have one of them pitch in relief. They could serve as long relief options, which is something the other pitchers really can’t say, at least consistently. 

On top of that, you have these pitchers on minor league contracts with spring training invites who could break through. One that has some attention online right now is James Karinchak. He signed last week, and he had upside in the past. 

Filling the first five spots was easy. The final three are where it gets tricky. I think these are all options we could potentially see during the season. For now, we’ll pick some and go from there. 

For now, I’m going to give Hernandez the benefit of the doubt. That gets the bullpen to six members. Alex Anthopoulos listed Lopez among those he saw as his top four starters in the rotation. Since they’re looking to add, along with a recovery from an injury, we’re going to list Holmes as a bullpen arm to get to seven. For the remaining spot, it’s going to a prospect. Harris has seen action in the majors. He gets the eighth and final spot. 

As for where we expect pitchers to come in. Bummer and Lee were typically the sixth- and seventh-inning guys. It’ll stick that way for now. 

All right. Drum roll, please. Here is the (as of now) projection for the bullpen:

• Grant Holmes (long relief)
• Hayden Harris
• Daysbel Hernandez 
• Joel Payamps
• Aaron Bummer (usual sixth inning) 
• Dylan Lee (usual seventh inning)
• Robert Suarez (Setup)
• Raisel Iglesias (closer)

There is promise here. Lee was a solid last seaosn for the most part. Bummer, when healthy and not being used as an opener, was successful.

Holmes has shown he can succeed as either a starter or as a reliever. Promise here reveals that he can gives guys the night off, which keeps them rested to perform well during the season. Covering the one extra inning goes a long way. Other long-relief options weren't as reliable for the Braves last season. This one can be.

When healthy, Hernandez was a strong option despite the number of baserunners he allowed. If he can stay healthy, he should be able to get back in order. Harris pitched in a small sample size, but as he develops further, there is the potential of translating that dominant showing in the minors last season to the majors.

Notice there are a lot of conditions when evaulating this bullpen. That's the unfortuante reality. This is the projected promise of this potential bullpen, not the guarantee. We won't know for sure until it's finalized and they actually get out there and do their thing. But when looking at the precedent that these arms bring to the table, there is certainly something here.

Since there is plenty of time before the regular season, we’ll circle back again when pitchers and catchers report to see if anything changes. For now, this seems like a reasonable projection for how the bullpen could look.