June is a crucial month for the Atlanta Braves in 2025, and everyone needs to be ready to meet the moment.
By no means are the Braves out of the playoff hunt, but they’ve put themselves at a major disadvantage with their cold start. At 27-31, Atlanta is 5 1/2 games out of wild card position entering play on Monday.
No one associated with the Braves wants to see a trade deadline fire sale. But even if they’re still within medium striking distance, they may consider offloading some of their expiring free agents to refresh their middling prospect pool.
The easiest thing to sell is usually relief pitching, and the Braves certainly have marquee talent in that regard.
In a Sunday article, Zach Pressnell of FanSided named closer Raisel Iglesias, who is in the final year of a four-year, $58 million contract, as a potential trade chip for Atlanta before the Jul. 31 deadline.
“Closer Raisel Iglesias isn’t a name that anybody assumed was going to be on the trade block this season, but it makes sense at this point. The righty is struggling a bit this season, but he’s still flashed the same excellence that Braves fans have grown to love,” Pressnell wrote.
“Since he’s on an expiring contract, he’s instantly going to be a trade candidate if the Braves are falling out of contention at the trade deadline. With Iglesias being the team’s closer, he’s destined to have a bit of value on the market.”
To say Iglesias is struggling is a bit of an understatement, considering his ERA has ballooned from 1.95 in 2024 to 5.64 this year. But part of that issue is his skyrocketing home run rate (2.8 per nine innings compared to 0.5 in 2024), which is a volatile number that should regress.
The Braves would certainly rather keep Iglesias and make a playoff push than turn him into a high-priced auction piece. But the next two months will determine whether they have that luxury.