SF Giants should be paying close attention to Braves closer Raisel Iglesias

The SF Giants have been very open about the fact that they want to upgrade the bullpen this offseason. They really don’t have much of a choice after the team’s bullpen was pretty dreadful for most of the 2026 season and if they’re serious about shoring up the ninth inning they need to be taking a long, hard look at Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.

The Braves are currently facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and Iglesias has been solid in the playoffs so far. He’s made three appearances and has yet to allow a run, converting both save opportunities he’s had.

Iglesias had another really solid year in 2026 during the regular season, posting a 2.55 ERA in 59 appearances and converting 34 of his 37 save opportunities. He struck out 64 batters and walked 17 in 60 innings of work.

He’s 36 years old and has been saving games for quite a while. Since 2023 he’s had 29 or more saves per season every single year so he knows how to shut the door in the ninth inning, something the Giants struggled to do repeatedly in 2026.

Iglesias may be the best closer Giants can realistically acquire

Iglesias signed a one-year, $16 million deal with the Braves last offseason. The Giants might have to pony up and give him more than that if they want to lure him away from Atlanta which is obviously a bit risky since that means giving nearly $20 million to a reliever who is going to be 37 next season.

Maybe the Giants could entice him by offering him a two-year deal which many teams probably wouldn’t be willing to do given his age. That would at least give them a potential closer for two seasons if everything goes according to plan which would be nice so they don’t have to worry about addressing the closer role next offseason.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey has said the team hopes to get experienced options in the bullpen which is probably wise. They need guys who have been there and done it before rather than relying on pitchers like Dylan Smith or Caleb Kilian who did okay at times in the role but clearly were not suited to be closers.

Iglesias is probably going to be one of the more realistic options for San Francisco since the top relievers on the market will probably go to contenders unless the Giants grossly overpay. The Giants should be watching Iglesias the rest of this postseason since he is going to be a logical target in the offseason. 

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