Braves' pricey Evan Phillips signing paves the way for SF Giants to get their closer

The Atlanta Braves made a move by signing veteran reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million deal on Thursday. Phillips spent many years with the Los Angeles Dodgers and seemed like he could be a potential fit for San Francisco, but the Braves signing him could open the door to the Giants landing a closer.

It’s not clear if the Braves signed Phillips to that deal thinking he will be their closer, a role he once had with the Dodgers, but if they do want him to be their ninth-inning man then that could mean they don’t want to reunite with Raisel Iglesias who has been the closer in Atlanta the last several years.

Iglesias is going to be 37 years old soon and could make a lot of sense for the Giants. He has 130 saves since 2023 and has 287 career saves. That may not be as many as Kenley Jansen, another closer who makes sense for the Giants, but it still shows that Iglesias has been getting the job done and shutting the door in the ninth for a long time.

That’s exactly what the Giants need after a 2026 season in which they didn’t have a reliable closer all year. While they should be getting Randy Rodríguez back and could choose to bring back Camilo Doval, neither of them should be the closer for San Francisco to start next season.

Iglesias would give San Francisco a solid, veteran presence who will stabilize the entire bullpen even if he cannot be the only addition they make. It’s not like the ninth inning was the only issue for the Giants, no matter what Zack Minasian says.

How expensive would Iglesias be for the Giants? 

The fact that Phillips, a 32-year-old reliever who has made only 38 regular season appearances the last two years, is getting a little less than an average $12 million per season shows that relievers aren’t going to come cheap.

Last season Iglesias pitched on a one-year, $16 million deal. Probably something similar to that mark would be fair this offseason and the Giants would be wise to pay that much especially since Iglesias won’t command a multi-year deal like some other relievers given his age.

Maybe Atlanta will ultimately reunite with him and the Phillips signing is just meant to give them another setup man, but if this signals they don’t want Iglesias anymore then the Giants should swoop in and get him. 

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