José

Suarez

Atlanta tried to sneak Suarez through waivers earlier in January after avoiding arbitration, but the Orioles snapped him up. The Orioles then waived him last week, and Suarez is right back in Atlanta. The left-hander had a 1.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 16/10 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings last season.

The Orioles just claimed the 28-year-old southpaw off of waivers from the Braves last week, but the allure of claiming Weston Wilson off of waivers was too much to pass up, so Suarez lost his spot on the 40-man roster once again. Given the overall lack of quality bullpen depth around the league, he could once again attract interest on waivers.

The Braves tried to push Suarez through waivers after avoiding arbitration with him last week by signing him to a $900,000 deal. The 28-year-old Suarez had a 1.86 ERA in one start and six relief appearances after the Braves picked him up from the Angels last season. He previously posted a 5.47 ERA in 61 starts and 38 relief appearances for the Halos from 2019-24. He’s out of options, so unless he makes the Orioles out of spring training, he’ll go back on waivers again at the end of March. More likely, though, is that the Orioles just put him right back on waivers in the coming days.

The financial terms of the deal are not yet available. Suarez did a nice job in limited work with Atlanta after coming over from Los Angeles, and should compete for one of the final spots in the rotation this spring.

It’s extremely rare to see a save credited in a contest where one side led by nearly a touchdown for most of it, but Suarez will get the second one of his career after scattering five hits over three shutout frames. The 27-year-old lefty has looked rejuvenated with a change of scenery, posting a strong 1.96 ERA across 18 1/3 innings over six appearances for Atlanta since coming over from the Angels back in March.

Suarez had struck out eight on three occasions with the Angels, most recently in 2022. He was just added to the Atlanta roster to start in the doubleheader today, and it’s unclear whether he’ll get the chance to stick around. He made a nice case for it, though, and he’ll have to go on waivers if the Braves do try to demote him.

The 27-year-old has a 2.45 ERA and 5/7 K/BB ratio in 7 1/3 innings for Atlanta so far this season. He will get the start on Tuesday against the Nationals in what should be a bullpen game. He shouldn’t be considered for fantasy purposes.

Because Suarez has been sent outright before, the 27-year-old can elect free agency if he wants. The southpaw went unclaimed after being designated for assignment Sunday.

The Braves needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for Scott Blewett on Sunday and it looks like Suarez was the odd man out this time around. The 27-year-old hurler posted a solid 2.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a troublesome 5/7 K/BB ratio over 7 1/3 innings with the Braves. He could attract some interest on waivers.

It’s pretty telling what the Braves thought of Anderson that they’d rather take their chances with Suarez, who had a 6.02 ERA in 52 1/3 innings for the Angels last season and a 6.55 ERA this spring. Suarez was effective as a five-inning starter in 2021 and ’22, but he’s struggled with injuries since. The Braves will put him in middle relief and see what happens.