2025 Atlanta Braves Player Review: Dylan Lee

The 2025 version of the Atlanta Braves bullpen was largely in disarray. That can happen as downstream effect when the entire Opening Day starting rotation is injured at the same time. 37 pitchers entered the game in relief last year. 37. The 1994 Atlanta Braves team had 31 players total. But one of the best of those thirty-seven of 2025 was Dylan Lee. And he was at times, the only relief they could count on. Unfortunately, the results were marred by the same thing that killed a lot of his relief teammates, too.

How acquired

Dylan Lee was released by the Marlins at the end of 2021 Spring Training. He was signed to a minor league deal by the Braves two weeks later. He was a tenth round pick by the Marlins in 2016. His fifth minor league season, which typically is a make-or-break year, was the pandemic-shortened 2020. He couldn’t make the Marlins in 2021, but had a stellar year in Triple-A Gwinnett and made two appearances in Atlanta, as well as a World Series start, of all things.

What were the expectations?

Dylan Lee was expected to be one of the more productive relievers on the team. He had already accumulated 1.9 WAR in his previous four years over 136 innings pitched, which included a not-so-good 2023 where he got killed by HR/FB but also ran an xFIP much higher than either 2022 or 2024. He put up a 2.11 ERA/ 3.00 FIP/ 3.15 xFIP line last season, good for a 51 ERA- and 76 FIP-. Basically, there were pretty high expectations that he’d be a strong part of the bullpen, and he seemed like a safe bet to be an above-average reliever.

2025 Results

Homers, it was always homers. At least this year. The HR/FB monster seized upon many an Atlanta Braves pitcher this season. It did not consume him, however. We hope.

He yielded 13 dingers over 68 1/3 innings pitched. But otherwise, not too bad. His strikeout to walk ratio went up to 5.43 from 4.47 in 2024. He did this by cutting his walk rate from around seven percent in 2024 to around five percent in 2025. But yeah, dingers, yo. His FIP- went up from 76 to 99; his xFIP- stayed the same at 78. They weren’t even good homers. Per Baseball Savant, he would have given up 3-4 fewer homers in nearly every ball MLB park, except for Houston and Cincinnati. So, it was like he was pitching in the Great American Small Park all season.

Lots of red here. His fastball was suspect and he was barreled up at times, but this is roughly 80-95th percentile work here.

The slider pretty well steals the show here. The fastball did take a step back. But otherwise really good. But overall a 3.29 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 3.22 xFIP, 0.3 WAR, and two saves despite the 13 home runs is pretty good.

What went right?

Well, that slider for one. Lee had no problem attacking the zone with it. It did come at the expense of some strikeouts and swings. But the walks went way down, and the slider was a big part of that.

But it was really May 27 to June 30 where Lee did his best work of the season. Which was great timing, as the pitching staff was kerploding around him. During these 34 days, while on the mound, opposing batters only got five singles, a double, and two walks, while striking out 20 times across 55 plate appearances. He was dealing at a time where the Braves really needed him.

His best game was arguablely June 6 in San Francisco. The Braves were tied at four with the Giants going into the eighth inning. He pitched a perfect 1 2/3 innings, striking out two. He gave way to Pierce Johnson, which didn’t go well. Try not to think about that series at San Francisco. But no matter, Lee kept them in the game.

This was 95 MPH right up the gut and Patrick Bailey had no chance.

He also got his chance to do the relatively infrequent “extra innings with no run allowed despite the free baserunner” thing, as he slammed the door on Arizona in the tenth on April 26. Raisel Iglesias blew a save by allowing Eugenio Suarez’ fourth homer of the day, but the Braves took the lead on a wild pitch, of all things. Lee got the call, got a groundout from Corbin Carroll, then a groundout from Geraldo Perdomo to short that stopped the runner from tying the game, and then a third groundout to end it.

What went wrong?

Do you have to ask? Homers, bruh.

Dylan Lee stepped into the top of the seventh of the August 23rd game versus the Mets with the Braves down a run. He walked the ever annoying Juan Soto. then Pete Alonso happened.

This was nearly dead center to a Home Run Derby champion. And this is 2025, where the Braves relievers are born to perish. This four-seamer offering barely scraped over the wall into the Chop House. However, instead of bouncing back, Lee gave up two more home runs that were no doubters. No, I’m not giving you video here of those.

Lee also had a miserable time in that crazy 12-11 July 31 game against the Reds. He came on after 1) the Braves had an eight-run eighth and also 2) Dane Dunning and the defense failed to retire six straight hitters, such that it was a five-run game with two on and none out. The Reds went single-single-game tying three-run homer off Lee. He didn’t even make it out of the inning, as the Braves had to go get Pierce Johnson with two outs and a runner on second to stop the bleeding. (They eventually won despite the Dunning-and-Lee show giving up an eight-run eighth.)

2026 Outlook

Dylan Lee will almost certainly be a key contributor in the Braves bullpen next season. I would expect him to be the 7th or 8th inning guy in a bullpen whose conception of leverage is up in the air at best and nonexistent at worst. He might be the team’s second- or third-best reliever on paper depending on the health of Joe Jimenez, how aggressive and successful the Front Office is in signing relievers, and how 2026 Spring Training shakes out. All in all, he projects for somewhere in the 0,5-0.8 WAR range, depending on how aggressive you think the Braves will be in using him in higher leverage. That’s a pretty good range; an okay reliever only manages Lee’s 0.3 fWAR in a full season.

Lee did not agree to terms before the non-tender deadline last week. That’s not an impediment to his return next year; he and the team have a while to agree to terms, or they’ll head to arbitration. Because he’s such a late bloomer, he’s team controlled until his age-33 season, and he probably wants and should get every cent possible in the next few years. The holdup is probably way less a million, and he deserves the $300-$400 thousand that he and the Braves are likely haggling about, as he’s been a consistent part of the bullpen over the last few years.