Robert Suarez deal with Braves shakes up MLB and subtly elevates Reds' offseason move

The Atlanta Braves are trying their best to piece together a dynamic bullpen heading into the 2026 season. The Braves re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal shortly after the offseason began, and just added another elite arm to their relief corps after agreeing to a three-year, $45 million pact with former San Diego Padres reliever Robert Suarez.

The Braves now have a fantastic 1-2 punch at the backend of their bullpen as they look to return to the MLB Postseason after missing out in 2025. Handing the ball to Suarez in the eighth and Iglesias in the ninth is as good a plan as any to make that happen.

But the Braves' deal for Suarez certainly has to make the Cincinnati Reds front office feel good, doesn't it? After all, just a few weeks back, the Reds came to terms with free agent reliever Emilio Pagán on a two-year, $20 million deal. If Pagán is able to replicate his performance from this past season, the Reds got an absolute bargain.

Braves deal for Robert Suarez proves that the Reds' deal for Emilio Pagán was an absolute steal

Pagán took up the mantle of closer for the Reds last season after Alexis Diaz was left off the Opening Day roster. Terry Francona found out quickly that Ian Gibaut wasn't up to the task after blowing a save during the first game of the season, and eventually turned to Pagán in the ninth inning with the lead.

The veteran went on to have arguably the best season of his career. Pagán made 70 appearances out of the Cincinnati pen, recorded a career-best 32 saves, along with a 2.88 ERA, 81 strikeouts, and a 159 ERA+. The Reds felt compelled to bring him back this offseason, and Pagán — who spoke glowingly of the team's management and the city of Cincinnati — took a little bit of a hometown discount.

After seeing the type of money thrown about to relievers this winter, the Reds have to be feeling pretty good about their deal with Pagán. In addition to Suarez and Iglesias, Edwin Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Devin Williams inked a three-year, $51 million contract with the New York Mets, and the Baltimore Orioles just signed Ryan Helsley for $28 million over two years.

The Reds aren't done adding to their bullpen, but it's doubtful that many others will offer Cincinnati the same discount Pagán did. The Reds front office may want to look toward the trade market in order to keep costs down, but the returns could be sky-high too.