The Atlanta Braves have addressed their holes in the bullpen within a matter of days, which continued this morning. Reynaldo López has agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract, which has been officially announced by the team.
This addition comes in the wake of the Braves acquiring former Chicago White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer in a six-player deal late last week. López had an impressive 2023 campaign, going 3-7 with a 3.27 ERA while earning six saves across 68 relief appearances for three teams.
He began the 2023 season as a member of the big league bullpen for the White Sox. López was one of the team’s few bright spots, and as a result, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the trade deadline. Less than a month later, the Angels elected to shed money after falling out of the Wild Card race in the American League, and López was designated for assignment. He was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians, making 12 appearances for them over the final few weeks of the season.
The addition of López gives the Braves a much more complete bullpen, particularly at the backend. Raisel Iglesias is expected to remain as the team’s closer, with A.J. Minter, Pierce Johnson, Bummer and López being in the mix for other high-leverage in the late innings. Given their interest in Aaron Nola, who re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, it appears that the next move for the Braves will be to add to their starting rotation. Sonny Gray is a name that has been heavily linked to Atlanta in recent days.
