With multiple holes in the bullpen, Atlanta’s most exciting hire—the man who guided Díaz’s 1.63 ERA comeback—could be the “pivotal tiebreaker” in luring the star closer from a division rival.
ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves fans are hopeful the core players returning for 2026 will benefit from the familiarity with new manager Walt Weiss. However, the staff around Weiss underwent what can best be described as a “massive overhaul” over this past week.
One of the most exciting hires Alex Anthopoulos made for the Braves’ dugout was the addition of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
At 39 years old, Hefner earned a “glowing reputation” thanks to his great work with the New York Mets pitching staff over the past six seasons. Now, Braves country is on pins and needles awaiting to see what magic Hefner can do with Atlanta’s staff.
However, after Anthopoulos declined options on both Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley—and with 2025 closer Raisel Iglesias also a free agent—it’s unclear what arms Hefner will have to work with.
While declining the options felt “cheap” to some, perhaps Anthopoulos is clearing money to make a run at a reliever that flourished under Hefner just last year.
[Video placeholder: Edwin Díaz’s 3Ks. 🎺🎺🎺 — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 25, 2025]
The Hefner “Sales Pitch”
Edwin Díaz is one of the premier free agents on the market this winter, and the Braves clearly have multiple holes in the bullpen. Signing Díaz would be a “swing for the fences,” but Atlanta can offer a very intriguing sales pitch thanks to the acquisition of Hefner.
At the end of the day, money talks, and Díaz will command a “pretty penny.” However, if Atlanta’s deal is similar to other top offers, having Hefner could be a pivotal tiebreaker.
Díaz has been a dominant closer his entire career, but questions started popping up about how good he could be post-major knee surgery (which cost him all of 2024). Díaz put any of those questions to bed when he went out and posted a dominant 1.63 ERA and 2.28 FIP in 2025—all under Hefner’s tutelage.
It’s unclear just how much money Anthopoulos will have to operate with this offseason. Signing Díaz would tie up a lot of money for one piece of a bullpen that needs retooling. Obstacles are clearly in the way, but Díaz could be a player that proves worth it.
Additionally, as one rival executive noted, “it never hurts to take away talent from the Mets,” whether that is a player or, as the Braves already did, a highly-valued coach.
