NORTH PORT, Fla. – Dylan Lee was once a bullpen’s pleasant surprise. The Braves could use another couple Dylan Lees right now.
Lee, 30, is the longest-tenured member of this bullpen after staple A.J. Minter left the Braves in free agency. Lee debuted for two games in 2021 and was even on the team’s World Series roster (he famously started Game 4 of the Fall Classic). Then a relative unknown, Lee’s role has increased as the years have progressed.
But being the only remaining reliever from that championship run is a surprising revelation,
“That’s so crazy; it’s not something I realized,” Lee said. “I’m not sure if it’s going to happen, but we could have Jesse Chavez back here and it could be him (laughs; the 41-year-old Chavez signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers). It’s crazy to think about because I feel like I just came on this team a couple years ago and now I’ve been here three or four years.”
Lee’s 2024 campaign was his best yet: A 2.11 ERA with a 76:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 59-2/3 innings. Once discarded by the lowly Marlins, Lee has turned into a valued southpaw for one of baseball’s most talented teams. He owns a 2.58 ERA across 124 games.
“It’s been pretty cool to see what he’s done and how well he’s done, the different roles he’s taken down for us,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He went back to Triple-A and refined that breaking ball. It’s really helped him a lot. It’s kind of made him who he is, really, in my opinion. He’s throwing the ball really well (this spring). He’s throwing the ball as good as he has since I’ve been here right now.”
Lee is partly a testament to the environment around him. He is the final remaining member of The Night Shift, the 2021 bullpen that etched its way into MLB history. Tyler Matzek is trying to make the Yankees. Minter is a Met. Chavez, Luke Jackson and Chris Martin are with the Rangers. Will Smith is a free agent.
He studied Chavez’s preparation. He saw Matzek’s relentlessness in pressure-laden spots. He hopes to copy Minter’s reliability – “He had the hip hiccup last year, but every year he’d give you 70-plus appearances, and that’s something I’m trying to get to,” Lee said. He understands the importance of bullpen camaraderie and was influenced by those before him.
“I’ve just matured in what I need to do to get ready,” Lee said. “Going back to Jesse, he’s helped me out a lot, even in ’21 when we were in Triple-A. I just learned a lot from him. Why wouldn’t you? The guy has 20-plus years in baseball. I think I still have more to learn, I’m still young in that aspect. Maybe not in baseball years, but in that aspect I am.”
The Braves are banking on Lee, Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Bummer and Pierce Johnson. Beyond them, spots are up for grabs. There’s no longer Minter’s and Chavez’s steadiness. Joe Jimenez, so crucial a season ago, is down for at least most of the year after undergoing knee surgery.
Maybe Daysbel Hernandez becomes reliable. Perhaps someone like Angel Perdomo pops and follows a comparable path to Lee or Grant Holmes. One of the in-camp journeymen like Buck Farmer or Jake Diekman could perform well enough. Perhaps the Braves even make another addition before leaving Florida.
“I feel like AA (president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos) always does a good job bringing in some quality high-class guys and I’m excited to see what they can do,” Lee said. “What I’m seeing right now (from Farmer and Diekman) is awesome.
“I think there’s a good amount of spots open so we’re going to see how this plays out and who they’re going to pick, but the core is still here. We’re going to miss Joe in the first half of the year, hopefully he can come back (at some point later in the second half) and be Joe. I know he’s putting in the work. But I’d say the majority of our bullpen is ready to go.”
The Braves’ bullpen has remained a strength even throughout the inevitable churning. It ranked third in ERA (3.32) and fWAR (6.1) last season. Its 9.92 strikeouts per nine innings were second highest in MLB while its 2.87 walks per nine were second lowest. By most every metric, the Braves had a top-three bullpen.
It feels like more of a wild card this year. There are just more uncertainties. An injury to one of the core four – Iglesias, Lee, Bummer, Johnson – might be more damaging blow than in the past. But the team has consistently found a way to maximize individuals and identify players whose ability it can perfectly harness.
“It just has to do with top to bottom how we treat people and how we are,” Lee said. “They come into the clubhouse and they feel like they’ve been here for years. It’s not like we outcast them and they have to earn their way into our good graces. It’s just, ‘Hey, come help us win some games.’ I think people respond to that well when you don’t push them off to the side until they do something good. It’s just like, ‘Let’s go, let’s win some ballgames.’ And they like that.”
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