The San Diego Padres have had a tumultuous offseason thus far. The Padres had work to do in order to fill holes on their roster, as well as find a new manager after Mike Schildt stepped down.
Now, the Padres must operate next season with a new closer, following the news that right-handed pitcher Robert Suarez signed with the Atlanta Braves on a three-year, $45 million contract, first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Suarez will operate as the setup man to incumbent Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, according to Dennis Lin and David O’Brien of The Athletic.
Suarez is coming off back-to-back all-star appearances and 76 combined saves during those two seasons.
Last season, Suarez, in 70 games (69.2 innings), posted a 2.97 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and a league-leading 40 saves.
What Does This Mean For San Diego?
Replacing a closer, especially an elite one in Suarez, is never easy, but the Padres are well prepared for his loss.
At the 2025 trade deadline, the Padres made the shocking move of acquiring Mason Miller from the Athletics, trading away top prospect Leo De Vries and others.
Now, Miller comes into the fold as the de facto closer, as the only one with strong experience, with 50 career saves in three years.
In 2024, Miller made the All-Star Game with a 2.49 ERA and 28 saves. In 2025, it was more of the same between the Athletics and Padres, owning a 2.63 ERA with 22 saves.
That save number in 2025 was only that low because of Suarez being the dominant closer for the Padres. Once he was traded to the Padres, Miller had a 0.77 ERA in 22 games with 45 strikeouts and just two saves.
Miller possesses a terrifying fastball that averages over 100 mph, with great breaking and offspeed pitches to go with it. He thrives on generating swings and misses and is still above-average in hard-hit rate.
There was talk of Miller being stretched out as a starter earlier this offseason, but those rumors will be put to rest now that he’s the closer.
How will the rest of the bullpen shape up?
With Miller as the closer, the back-end of the Padres bullpen figures to still be elite.
Jason Adam was another all-star addition to the bullpen at the 2024 trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays that figures to be the set-up man.
In 65 games during 2025 (65.1 innings), Adam had a 1.93 ERA with 70 strikeouts. With an already strong 1-2 punch, the Padres’ back-end of the bullpen figures to be one of the best in baseball.
But there’s still more.
The Padres have another all-star in the bullpen in Adrian Morejon. During the 2025 season, Morejon, in 75 games (73.2 innings), had a 2.08 ERA with 70 strikeouts.
With other solid relievers, the Padres could have one of, if not the best, bullpens in baseball. Suarez’s leaving hurts, but the Padres were well-prepared for his absence.
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