Braves sign Tyler Kinley as Atlanta keeps bolstering its bullpen
Kinley allowed just two earned runs in 25 innings for a 0.72 ERA for the Braves last season after they acquired him at the trade deadline.

In November, Atlanta paid Tyler Kinley a $750,000 buyout rather than exercising his $5.5 million option. Brett Davis / Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves further boosted their bullpen depth Saturday by signing veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley on a one-year guarantee worth $4.25 million with a club option for 2027, the club announced on Saturday.
Kinley’s salary for this year is $3 million. There is a $1.25 million buyout on the club option, which is worth $5.5 million.
In November, Atlanta paid Kinley a $750,000 buyout rather than exercising his $5.5 million option.
Kinley, who turns 35 later this month, pitched well for the Braves after they acquired him from the Colorado Rockies at the deadline, allowing just two earned runs in 25 innings for a 0.72 ERA.
Atlanta’s bullpen projects as a strength. Earlier this offseason, the Braves re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias (one year, $16 million) and reeled in top setup reliever Robert Suarez (three years, $45 million). They also added middle relievers Danny Young (lefty) and Ian Hamilton to a group that features lefty setup man Dylan Lee. Kinley gives the Braves another experienced option.
Compared to recent winters, the market for high-leverage relievers this offseason moved quickly. According to FanGraphs’ RosterResource, Kinley was the best available right-handed reliever. Across his time with both the Rockies and Braves, Kinley had a 3.96 ERA/3.69 FIP in 73 appearances (72 2/3 innings). From Aug. 1 to the end of last season, Kinley produced the third-best OPS against (.329) for a reliever with a minimum of 15 appearances in the span (178 relievers), behind only Aroldis Chapman (.284) and Brad Keller (.328).
While with the Braves, Kinley used his breaking balls more. From August on, the batting average against his slider was .222, per Tru Media, while the batting average against his curveball stood at .000.