With Edwin Diaz leaving the Mets to sign a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, right-hander Robert Suarez appeared to be a prime target to pair with Devin Williams at the back end of the bullpen.
But that possibility ended on Thursday, with Suarez signing with the NL East rival Atlanta Braves.
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Per multiple reports, the two-time All-Star, who has the most saves in the majors over the past two seasons, is joining the Braves on a three-year, $45 million deal.
The Braves also re-signed Raisel Iglesias earlier this offseason, giving them a formidable one-two punch to close out games.
The 34-year-old Suarez, who didn’t make his major league debut until he was 31, has been an All-Star in each of the last two seasons, pitching to a 2.87 ERA with 76 saves and a 0.973 WHIP since the start of 2024.
Suarez features three-pitch mix, including a fastball that averaged 98.6 miles per hour last season, which was in the 97th percentile via Baseball Savant. Suarez also has a nasty changeup that had opposing batters whiffing 32.8 percent of the time in 2025, and a sinker that held opposing hitters to a .102 batting average.
With Suarez off the board, names like Pete Fairbanks, Kenley Jansen, and Kirby Yates remain as back-end options for the Mets.