Suarez made the NL All-Star team in both 2024 and ’25 while closing for the Padres, putting up a pair of superficially similar seasons: a 2.77 ERA in 65 innings, with 36 saves (third in the league) in 42 opportunities in the former, and a 2.97 ERA in 69 2/3 innings, with an NL-high 40 saves in 45 opportunities in the latter. So despite Suarez’s improved strikeout and walk rates, his xERA rose from 3.05 to 3.66, as he was hit harder, with his average exit velocity increasing from 89 mph to 90.5, and his barrel rate from 7.7% to 9.1%; the latter represented a drop from the 49th percentile to the 36th, closer to where his 42.6% hard-hit ranked (31st percentile). If Iglesias — who turned his 2025 season around after dialing back the usage of his slider — regresses in 2026, is dealt to a contender near the trade deadline if the Braves don’t rebound from their first sub-.500 season (and first playoff miss) since 2017, or departs as a free agent at the end of the season, they’ve got an obvious successor.
Author: Jay Jaffe
Published at: 2025-12-11 22:35:01
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