Braves GM on why the club did not trade Raisel Iglesias

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos met with the media yesterday and discussed a number of topics.

Most notably, he announced Sean Murphy will miss the remainder of the season. Murphy needs surgery on his hip, which Anthopoulos said has been bothering him for about three years now and only worsened. The hope is that Murphy will be a full go come Spring Training in 2026.

Anthopoulos also said the team has not discussed potential replacements in the event that Brian Snitker decides to retire, and the Braves GM responded to a question about Raisel Iglesias and the decision not to trade him at the deadline.

Asked if there was any regret he didn't move Iglesias before the Trade Deadline, Anthopoulos again said teams weren't willing to give the Braves anything more than salary relief. He was only going to move him if he received prospects who could help in the future

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 8, 2025

Given the Braves were able to land a prospect for Rafael Montero, sending him to Detroit for Jim Jarvis, it’s incredibly hard to believe there weren’t teams willing to give up something of value for Raisel Iglesias.

Relievers are always hot commodities at the trade deadline, especially veterans with track records like Iglesias, who recorded a 1.95 ERA with 34 saves just last season. He has experience in a number of different bullpen roles and is well regarded around the league for his clubhouse presence.

Additionally, Iglesias was pitching very well leading up to the trade deadline, recording a 2.29 ERA and 2.23 FIP over 21 appearances from June 9th to July 31st. So, either Alex Anthopoulos isn’t being entirely truthful (likely), or the rest of the league isn’t paying attention to what’s going on around them.

Regardless, Iglesias stayed put and has been downright dominant since the calendar turned to August. He’s allowed just one run over his last 15 appearances with 15 strikeouts — good for a 0.60 ERA and 1.54 FIP. Every competing team could use a guy like that in their bullpen, making it all the more disappointing the Braves got absolutely nothing for him.

Atlanta should have interest in bringing Raisel Iglesias back this offseason. They have a void at closer, and he’s still one of the best in the business. But like every free agent decision, it will come down to the price tag. With the way Iglesias has pitched over the last few months, there will be a lot of teams vying for his services this offseason.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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