All 30 MLB bullpens, ranked

Cleveland has new names emerge behind elite closer Emmanuel Clase each year, and those breakout pitchers have helped the Guardians bullpen remain at the top of the league. Clase is arguably the league’s best closer, beginning the season with a 0.32 ERA and only two walks through 28.1 innings to start the year, but little-known Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith have also become elite setup men behind him with sub-2.00 ERAs. Former Royals closer Scott Barlow struggles with his control but gives the team an experienced closing alternative. Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan continue to be strong options, as well.

Only two years ago, Philadelphia’s bullpen was a glaring weakness. Now, it’s arguably the team’s biggest strength with a crew of differing and highly effective arms. The team has dominant options from both sides to close games with Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman, while Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez also have closing experience. Back from an early IL stint, Orion Kerkering could become a closer down the line and continues to be almost unhittable. Matt Strahm and Spencer Turnbull have taken to relief roles nicely after histories in the starting rotation.

All-Star closer Devin Williams has yet to throw a pitch for the Brewers this season, and yet the team’s bullpen remains almost as strong as ever. Trevor Megill has handled most of the closing duties and has been dominant in the process with a K/BB ratio of 6.00, while the breakout seasons from Hoby Milner, Elvis Peguero, and Joel Payamps last season have continued this year. Milwaukee seems to have new arms emerge annually, and this year it’s been Bryan Hudson and Jared Koenig. The return if Williams around the All-Star break could make Milwaukee’s pen the best in the game.

We didn’t know how the Padres bullpen would fare after losing Josh Hader, but Robert Suarez has more than answered the call as the new closer. He’s shown an uptick in velocity and nearly perfect control. Offseason acquisitions Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta, and Enyel De Los Santos have also been solid late in games. The most exciting breakout could be right-hander Jeremiah Estrada, whose 0.53 ERA and 14.8 K/9 through 13 appearances shows closer potential on its own. Former top prospect Adrian Morejon has been similarly dominant from the left side.

New pitching coach Andrew Bailey has worked wonders with both Boston’s starting rotation and their relief corps. Kenley Jansen his usual reliable self at the end of games, and future alternatives like Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert have emerged as dominant options behind him. As usual, Chris Martin has shown pinpoint command as the likely closer fallback, while minor league veteran lefties Brennan Bernardino and Cam Booser have been excellent. We shouldn’t forget the team also has former All-Star closer Liam Hendriks waiting in the wings, as he recovers from elbow surgery.

The always-aggressive Braves made off-season additions like Aaron Bummer and Jesse Chavez to an already strong pen. Those moves have held up nicely, but the team’s bullpen has been on the mend, overcoming injuries to A.J. Minter and Tyler Matzek. More concerning could be closer Raisel Iglesias’ decline in strikeouts early this season, but the team has high strikeout relievers as fallbacks with Joe Jimenez and Pierce Johnson. With strong depth, the Braves pen lacks a weak link.

A long list of injuries has created challenges for LA’s bullpen, with the team losing Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly, and Ryan Brasier for significant time. Phillips has been dominant as the closer when healthy, while Daniel Hudson has covered from knee problems to be a dominant setup man again. Alex Vesia has been excellent from the left side, as usual, and Michael Groves shows potential with an excellent strikeout rate. The Dodgers are likely to add more depth at the trade deadline as the model for October.

The Giants ability to deploy relievers from all sides and angles has consistently made the unit strong in recent seasons. Hard-throwing closer Camilo Doval remains dominant, though his control has been poor early this season. Twins Tyler and Taylor Rogers couldn’t be more different in their games, but both have been excellent setup men for Doval. Right-handed Ryan Walker is showing last year’s breakout wasn’t a fluke, with an ERA near 2.00 and nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings. Lanky groundballer Sean Hjelle has found himself this season as a long man, no pun intended, showing control and a sub-3.00 ERA through 15 appearances. Former free agent signing Luke Jackson is also showing strong signs with his health cooperating for the most part.

Young closer Mason Miller has been the talk of the baseball world, regularly touching 103 mph to become the most dominant closer in the game. He’s been supported by a bullpen that has been surprisingly solid, with Lucas Erceg, Austin Adams, and Michael Kelly each sporting sub-3.00 ERAs early in the year. The hard-throwing Erceg did go on the IL in late May, which will hurt the team. Veteran lefty T.J. McFarland is also off to a nice star as a workhorse after struggling over the last two seasons.

Washington has been an early surprise with their ability to hover near .500, and the elite performance of the bullpen has been a huge reason. Kyle Finnegan has been reliable in spite of some walk issues, with a sub-2.00 ERA through 22 appearances. Two dominant relievers have been setting him up, with closer experience in Hunter Harvey and Dylan Floro, while Derek Law has also been reliable for the second consecutive season. The Nationals haven’t been able to find much success beyond their top four, inflating the pen’s ERA slightly.

The bullpen has been one of the strongest areas for a flawed Cardinals roster, with the trio of Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and Andrew Kittredge ending games when the team has a lead.  All three relievers have shown hard fastballs and excellent control. Groundball lefty John King has been a surprise, and Matthew Liberatore has also done good work out of the pen. Rule 5 pick Ryan Fernandez has been a steal with late-game potential, posting a 3.32 ERA and strong strikeout rate through 18 appearances.

The Twins bullpen is back on track since closer Jhoan Duran returned from an oblique injury, though he hasn’t missed as many bats as usual. Griffin Jax remains mostly dominant with more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings, and newcomer Steven Okert has been reliable for the left side. Cole Sands’ performance should improve if his K/BB above 7.00 continues, and Jorge Alcala shows setup potential with an electric arm.

Arizona began the season without closer Paul Sewald due to injury and has since lost key contributors Kyle Nelson and Miguel Castro. The return of Sewald has calmed the tide, with Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson, and Joe Mantiply stepping back into more familiar setup duty. Thompson has been excellent with a sub-1.00 ERA and only two walks through his first 21 appearances. The unit’s effectiveness has been shaky overall, but they’re on the right track.

The Mariners were counting on having hard throwers Matt Brash and Gregory Santos as setup men for Andres Munoz this season. Neither pitcher has appeared due to arm injuries, but the team has made due. Munoz remains arguably the best closer in baseball with more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings and an ERA nearing 1.00, while Ryne Stanek has been his primary setup man. The M’s have also gotten strong performances from Trent Thornton and Austin Voth from the right side, with Tayler Saucedo from the left. It’s likely relief depth will be on Jerry Dipoto’s priority list at the trade deadline, but the Mariners are holding their own given the circumstances.

The Yankees have been almost automatic in late innings between closer Clay Holmes and emerging setup man Luke Weaver, but there are some shaky signs elsewhere. The bullpen’s K/9 is near the bottom of the league without the flamethrowers of many other pens, and the control has also been shaky with struggles from Caleb Ferguson, Michael Tonkin, and Victor Gonzalez. Injuries to Jonathan Loaisiga and Nick Burdi have taken their toll, so it’s likely New York will add depth.

The bullpen has clearly been Baltimore’s weakness early in the season as they try to overcome the loss of closer Felix Bautista, who had elbow surgery late last year. Craig Kimbrel has the pedigree, but he’s seen better days. Yennier Cano hasn’t shown the pinpoint control that he did last season, though strong starts from Jacob Webb and lefty Danny Coulombe have made up for Cano’s decline. Keegan Akin has deserved better results than what we’ve seen so far based on his peripherals, and Cionel Perez remains a strong situational option. It seems likely a team with World Series aspirations like the O’s will address the pen before the trade deadline.

The Marlins haven’t needed to hold many late leads, but Tanner Scott has been mostly up to the challenge. His control has regressed after great improvement last year, but the lefty is still getting grounders and missing bats. Journeymen Burch Smith and Calvin Faucher has been similarly effective thanks to keeping the ball down. Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi have struggled, but their excellent K/BB ratios above 3.00 show better days ahead. Of course, the recurring firesale in Miami could blow up the Marlins bullpen before August.

Despite spending a record-breaking amount on new closer Josh Hader during the offseason, Houston’s bullpen has struggled. The left-handed closer has started to right the ship after a slow start, pushing his ERA below 4.00 with an elite 14.9 K/9 through 24 appearances. Unfortunately, the team’s previous closer, Ryan Pressly has posted an ERA above 5.00 in the setup role, and Bryan Abreu also hasn’t been quite as dominant as years past. Rafael Montero’s overall results have improved after a disappointing 2023 season, but his lack of strikeouts remains a red flag. The emergence of Tayler Scott and Seth Martinez has helped, but this has been far from the elite unit most expected.

The bullpen was a major problem for Texas last year until they got right in the playoffs. It didn’t take them as long this year thanks to the additions of experienced veterans Kirby Yates and David Robertson. Yates has emerged as the closer after Jose Leclerc’s early struggles, and is looking like an All-Star with an ERA below 1.00 in his first 20 appearances. Robertson continues going strong as he nears age 40, and lefty Jacob Latz has become a major contributor. Injuries to Josh Sborz and Brock Burke have hurt the Rangers depth.

Cincinnati’s pen wore down late last season, and closer Alexis Diaz has continued to struggle with an ERA near 6.00 through 23 appearances. A complete lack of control has been the culprit and could eventually get him to relinquish the role. The rest of the bullpen has been mostly sharp, though big offseason signing Emilio Pagan has missed time to injury. Veteran lefty Brent Suter has been a reliable strike thrower again, while Fernando Cruz and Lucas Sims have been able to miss bats in high-leverage situations. Swingman Nick Martinez has also been key as a long reliever when he hasn’t been needed in the starting rotation.

The Mets have seen some strong individual performances this season but have struggled when it’s mattered. Edwin Diaz had a hard time finding himself early in the year with diminished velocity after knee surgery, and has since gone on the IL with a shoulder injury. Reed Garrett has nearly 14 strikeouts per nine innings, but hasn’t been an effective option in his stead. After a great start, Adam Ottavino’s ERA is above 5.00 with some poor outings. Jake Diekman and Sean Reid-Foley have been effective early but have struggled with walks.

The Rays have shown an ability to build pens on the cheap over the years, but they’re off to a poor start this season. Pete Fairbanks has missed time to injury and struggled with walks when he’s pitched. Free agent signing Phil Maton has had similar control issues, and key lefty Colin Poche is injured. Jason Adam and Garrett Cleavinger have been strong high-leverage contributors, though high walk rates threaten their early sub-2.00 ERAs.

As well as Detroit’s starting rotation has pitched, the bullpen has been their downfall. Jason Foley replaced last year’s closer, Alex Lange, from the get-go, but has floundered more recently with velocity issues and poor command. Shelby Miller was viable in the setup role before injury, while lefty Andrew Chafin has been inconsistent. Tyler Holton, Alex Faedo, and Will Vest have been good strike throwers in middle relief, but there isn’t a dominant arm to turn to when the team needs late-inning outs.

The Royals’ aggressive offseason included the additions of veteran relievers Will Smith, Chris Stratton, John Schreiber, and Nick Anderson. The results have been very mixed from that group, with Smith losing the closer job to James McArthur early in the season. McArthur has been mostly reliable with strong statistical components, but his ERA was above 5.00 through 21 appearances due to a few blowups. Smith and Stratton have struggled to get on track, while Anderson’s K/BB ratio has been ugly. Schreiber’s ability to keep the ball down and the emergence of left-hander Angel Zerpa have helped smooth the sharp edges, but KC’s bullpen needs to improve if they plan to make noise in October.

Pittsburgh’s pen hasn’t gone as planned, to say the least. Closer David Bednar has been ineffective since returning from a lat injury, while flame-throwing lefty Aroldis Chapman has more walks than innings pitched. The team could have a closer of the future in Colin Holderman, with a sub-1.00 ERA through 19 appearances, and Hunter Stratton also shows potential with a 7.00 K/BB ratio in 24 appearances. Luis Ortiz has started in the past but has been effective in the pen this year despite poor command.

The bullpen looked like Chicago’s biggest weakness entering the season, and it has been even worse than expected. The hiccups and injury to initial closer Adbert Alzolay set the tone. Veteran Hector Neris has been adequate as the new closer, though he has never as many walks as strikeouts. A series of injuries to other promising arms, including Yency Almonte, Keegan Thompson, Colten Brewer, Daniel Palencia, and Julian Merryweather have wreaked havoc, as well. Mark Leiter Jr. has managed to show last year’s breakout wasn’t a fluke with a dominant strikeout rate, and Hayden Wesneski is also becoming a key member of the pen.

Toronto’s pen looked great on paper entering the year, but have yet to find their footing with an ERA well above 4.00. The struggles start with closer Jordan Romano, who has spent two stints on the IL with elbow pain. Erik Swanson wasn’t right after returning from his own early-season injury, while each of Trevor Richards, Genesis Cabrera, Nate Pearson, and Tim Mayza have walked more than four batters per nine innings early. Setup men Yimi Garcia and Chad Green has been the team’s only reliable pitchers when they’ve been available.

The Angels signed Robert Stephenson to a lucrative three-year deal in the offseason, only for him to suffer shoulder and elbow problems that ended his season before it began. The team has turned back to Carlos Estevez at closer, and he’s done a fine job despite some home runs inflating his ERA near 5.00. The rest of the pen is filled with other relievers on the back nine of their careers, including Luis Garcia, Matt Moore, Hunter Strickland, and Adam Cimber. Moore and Cimber are off to terrible starts, but great control from Garcia and Strickland has kept the pen intact. The team has also seen promising results from former top prospects Carson Fulmer and Roansy Contreras.

The White Sox entered the season without key roles in a very young bullpen, and the early season hasn’t cleared up much. Hard-throwing Michael Kopech leads the group in saves and strikeouts after moving over from the rotation, but his control remains inconsistent. Jordan Leasure is a potential long-term piece, though his control has also been shaky. John Brebbia has been very hittable after returning from a calf injury. Tim Hill has been strong from the left side but hasn’t missed bats. Young Jared Shuster has been similarly lucky with a poor strikeout rate.

It’s telling that Colorado had a closer competition in Spring Training between Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley, and neither pitcher held the role by mid-May. Veteran lefty Jalen Beeks is becoming the most trusted reliever for Bud Black, albeit with a sub-2.00 K/BB ratio, with young hard throwers Victor Vodnik and Nick Mears behind him. Lawrence struggled before going on the IL with an arm injury, and Kinley’s ERA was above 8.00 through 24 appearances. Jake Bird has been reliable in the past, but he’s also out due to injury.