The Braves have spent a whopping $61 million so far upgrading a bullpen that was essentially depleted to start the offseason. It began with the decision to re-sign Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million contract. He’ll return as the club’s closer and be joined by another elite ninth-inning arm in former Padres closer Robert Suarez, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal with Atlanta.

That combination gives the Braves one of the best one-two punches at the back end of games in baseball, but there are still questions about how the rest of the bullpen will shake out. The Braves do not appear confident Joe Jimenez will return as the same pitcher he once was, and declining the options on Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley created two more sizable holes in the middle innings.

Braves New Look Bullpen

Closer: Raisel Iglesias

Set Up: Robert Suarez

Set Up: Dylan Lee

Middle Relief: Aaron Bummer

Other Options

• Grant Holmes
• Reynaldo Lopez
• Joe Jimenez
• Daysbel Hernandez
• Hayden Harris
• Jhancarlos Lara
• Dylan Dodd
• Joey Wentz
• Jose Suarez
• Hunter Stratton
• Joel Payamps
• Rolddy Munoz

As you can see, there aren’t many clearly defined roles for the pitching staff right now, but there is a ton of potential depending on how the remainder of the offseason plays out.

If the Braves were to move Reynaldo Lopez back to the bullpen, it would instantly give them another high-leverage arm. Grant Holmes has also been very productive as a reliever in the past. Then there’s a group of four young arms with significant upside that could become mainstays in Atlanta at any point. Daysbel Hernandez and Jhancarlos Lara have unhittable stuff but need to harness their command, while Hayden Harris and Dylan Dodd both offer intriguing looks from the left side.

The rest of the group falls into the category of pitchers who likely won’t see many high-leverage situations. They’ll probably shuffle between the majors and minors, serving as long relievers or extra arms when needed.

The Braves could conceivably get by with what they currently have, and if things break their way, it might even turn out to be very good. But from where I sit, this club still needs to add one more arm. Whether it’s a starter that allows Reynaldo Lopez or Grant Holmes to shift back into a relief role, or another proven high-leverage reliever, going into the season with this group as-is would be a gamble.