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Braves Make Announcement on Former Cubs Bust

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew Wright | Last updated Mar 21, 2025 4:30 PM ET

Before the 2024 season, the Chicago Cubs signed Hector Neris to a one-year deal with the expectation that he would fill the closer role and be the lockdown closer that the Cubs have needed for quite some time.

That didn't work out, however, as Neris racked up a 3.89 ERA with 26 walks and five blown saves across 46 appearances with Chicago. He was traded to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline and was even worse there, as he collected a 4.70 ERA across 16 appearances for the Astros.

Neris will now have a new home ballpark to pitch in as the Atlanta Braves announced Friday that Neris would be making their major league roster coming out of spring camp. Neris appeared just two times for the Braves in the spring with both appearances being shutout innings. Atlanta saw something they liked and decided to keep Neris on the roster for at least the beginning of the season.

Atlanta will be the fourth team he has spent time with during his MLB career. The first eight seasons of his career were spent with the Philadelphia Phillies. Those eight seasons in Philadelphia went quite well, as Neris finished his Phillies career with an ERA of 3.42 in 405 appearances.

A return to the NL East may be what is needed for the 12-year veteran to get his career back on the right track. While he won't be facing the same players in the division that he faced from 2014-2021, the ballparks will still be the same and they are all places that he has had success in.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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