ATLANTA (AP) — Two-time All-Star reliever Robert Suarez and the Atlanta Braves agreed Thursday to a $45 million, three-year contract.
He gets a $13 million salary in 2026 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. He learned about the Braves from Jurickson Profar and Ronald Acuña Jr.
“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 World Series.
“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.”
The 34-year-old was 4-6 with 40 saves and a 2.97 ERA this year. He has 76 saves over the past two years and is 22-13 with a 2.91 ERA and 77 saves in four major league seasons, all with San Diego. He will donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
Left-hander Ryan Rolison was designated for assignment.
A day earlier, the Braves agreed to a $23 million, two-year contract with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. The agreement includes a 2028 club option with the potential to make the deal worth $26 million over three seasons.
The 35-year-old hit .233 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 146 games last year for San Francisco and Kansas City. He could play in all three outfield positions and as a designated hitter.
“The number one thing is the history of organization in trying to win,” Yastrzemski said. “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.”
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