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.
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.
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