ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves announced Thursday that they have agreed with relief pitcher Robert Suarez on a three-year contract for $45 million.
The 34-year-old right-hander from Venezuela, who was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game the past two seasons, gets a $13 million salary in 2026, then $16 million each of the following two seasons.
Suarez said he learned about how the Braves operate as a franchise from outfielders Jurickson Profar — who played for the Braves this year after two stints with the Padres during his first decade-plus in the major leagues — and Ronald Acuña Jr., the 27-year-old Venezuelan star who has spent his entire career in Atlanta.
“As far as I can remember, they’ve always been competitive, apart from last season a team that’s constantly in the postseason,” Suarez said through an interpreter. “At the end of the day, I just continued to hear so many good things about this clubhouse, this team, this organization, the way they treat their players, the city of Atlanta itself.
“And at the end of the day, this was the right decision for me, and I couldn’t be happier and my family couldn’t be happier, either.”
He could be a setup man for closer Raisel Iglesias, who agreed last month to a $16 million, one-year contract and could become a free agent after the 2026 World Series. Atlanta missed the playoffs this year after making seven straight postseason appearances — via six consecutive National League East Division titles from 2018-23, then a wild-card berth in 2024 — during a run of success that included the 2021 World Series championship.
Next season will be Atlanta’s first with former bench coach Walt Weiss as manager. He succeeds Brian Snitker, who retired in October after a decade leading the Braves.
“I’m willing to do whatever needs to be done,” Suarez said, “to just add my little grain of sand in the effort to help the team win in any which way.”
Suarez was 4-6 with 40 saves and a 2.97 ERA this year. He has 76 saves over the past two seasons and is 22-13 with a 2.91 ERA and 77 saves in four MLB seasons, all with the Padres. He will donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
The Braves also designated left-hander Ryan Rolison for assignment on Thursday.
Atlanta’s effort to strengthen its bullpen came a day after making a move intended to benefit the lineup. The Braves announced Wednesday that they had signed veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal that includes a club option for 2028.
The 35-year-old Yastrzemski hit .233 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 146 games last year between the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals.
“The number one thing is the history of organization in trying to win,” said Yastrzemski, who could be an option at designated hitter when he’s not in the outfield. “You only have so may chances to win, and the first thing that drew me here was the strong commitment to constantly trying to win a championship.”
Yastrzemski, who spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Giants before being sent to the Royals at the MLB trade deadline at the end of July, will make $9 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027. Yastrzemski will make $7 million if the Braves pick up the option for 2028, but he will receive a $4 million buyout if they do not.
The versatile Yastrzemski, the grandson of National Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, can play all three outfield positions and is a career .238 hitter. His best season was in 2020, when he batted .297 with 10 homers in 54 games — MLB’s regular season was shortened to 60 games after starting late due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting.