Reynaldo López, Braves Agree to 3-Year, $30M Contract in MLB FA After Angels Stint

After pitching for three different teams during the 2023 season, veteran reliever Reynaldo López has found a permanent home.

The Atlanta Braves announced on Monday that they have signed López to a three-year contract worth $30 million. The deal also includes an $8 million club option for 2027 with a $4 million buyout.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, López will prepare as a starter this offseason

López made 68 appearances this past season between the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians. He had a combined 3-7 record and six saves with a 3.27 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 66.0 innings of work. He dominated with his fastball, with opponents hitting just .188 against the pitch.

A right-handed hurler from the Dominican Republic, López made his major-league debut in 2016 with the Washington Nationals before being traded to the White Sox after that season. He began his career as a starting pitcher, but he had an ERA over 5.00 in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The 29-year-old started transitioning to the bullpen in 2021 and made the move permanent in 2022. That year, he recorded a career-low 2.76 ERA in 61 appearances, 60 of which came out of the bullpen.

López will be joining a Braves bullpen that had a collective ERA of 3.81 last season. Closer Raisel Iglesias tied for eighth in the majors with 33 saves. He's likely to have more save opportunities in 2024 with López as one of his primary setup pitchers.

The Braves finished with the best record in the majors last season at 104-58, but they disappointingly were eliminated from the playoffs in the NLDS. It will be interesting to see what other moves Atlanta makes this offseason to try to return to the World Series next season.