One experience Braves reliever the SF Giants should target at the MLB trade deadline

At 43-54, the Atlanta Braves look to be surprising sellers at the trade deadline. If they do sell, one reliever who could provide a boost to the SF Giants bullpen is Raisel Iglesias.

One experience Braves reliever the SF Giants should target at the MLB trade deadline

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Braves are letting teams know that Iglesias, along with Marcell Ozuna and Pierce Johnson, are available. It is no surprise to see these names available, given that all three could be free agents at the end of the year. Ozuna and Iglesias are unrestricted free agents, whereas the Braves hold a team option on Johnson for 2026.

On the surface, the bullpen would not appear as a need for San Francisco. After all, the Giants still have the best bullpen in baseball with a 3.13 ERA.

That said, there are splinters forming in that unit. With Erik Miller landing on the injured list, they do not necessarily have a go-to lefty reliever in leverage spots. Joey Lucchesi has been used in those spots so far, and Matt Gage could pitch his way into some opportunities if he throws well.

However, the loss of Miller also changes the dynamic of the bullpen. Bob Melvin seemingly does not have a lot of confidence in the bullpen outside of Camilo Doval, Randy Rodríguez, and Tyler Rogers. Rogers and Doval have set roles in the eighth inning and ninth inning, respectively. Rodríguez does not have a defined role, but he typically enters high-leverage situations.

The addition of another experience reliever could certainly help. Raisel Iglesias is in the final year of a four-year, $58 million deal. On the surface, he is also having a down year, with a 5.12 ERA across 38.2 innings.

Iglesias did allow four runs in a 12-9 loss to the New York Yankees on July 19. Prior to that, he had gone 15 straight appearances without allowing a run. The overall numbers are not strong, but the strikeout rate (10.2 K/9) remains healthy and there are a lot of favorable process stats, such as above-average whiff and chase rates.

The 11-year veteran has quietly been one of the best and most durable relievers over the past decade. He has a career 2.99 ERA while making at least 50 appearances in every full season since 2017. This does not include the 2025 season yet, but he is well on his way to surpassing that mark, as he currently has 41 outings to his ledger.

Iglesias also has a lot of experience at closer. He has converted 86.4 percent of save opportunities in his career.

Given the remaining money on his contract and the fact that he is in the midst of a down year, it might be a good buy-low opportunity. A lot of teams add bullpen arms at the trade deadline, and this could be a sneaky move for the Giants that could pay off in the final two months of the year.