Relievers might not get paid as much as MLB starting pitchers and position players, but they're crucial to team success. Nothing is more disheartening than losing a game late because of a bullpen meltdown, and winning close games is only a possibility with help from the bullpen.
Ranking bullpens can be tricky because relievers are among the most volatile players in the game, and pitchers get sent up and down a lot more than position players and starting pitchers, but it feels as if five in particular stick out from the rest.
It comes as no surprise that the five best bullpens in baseball are for teams that are not only above .500, but sitting in postseason position as of this writing. Let's get into it.
5. The Astros are seeing a return on their major bullpen investment
The Houston Astros' bullpen is top-heavy, and that's by design. They gave Josh Hader a five-year, $95 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, making him one of the highest-paid relievers ever. His first season in Houston was far from spectacular, but he's been one of the best closers in the game this season. He has a 1.29 ERA in 26 appearances and 28 innings pitched, and he's converted 17 saves in 17 tries. He's pitching as well as he ever has, and the Astros have gone a whopping 25-1 in games he's appeared in for a reason.
Setting things up for the Astros is Bryan Abreu, who has a 1.55 ERA in 29 appearances and has been one of the best set-up men for years now. Emergences of guys like Steven Okert and Bryan King have helped Joe Espada navigate pressure-filled late-game situations as well.
It isn't the deepest unit in the league, but if the Astros lead a game after seven innings, it feels as if with Abreu and Hader looming, the game is over. The fact that they've blown only six save opportunities all season, the second-fewest in the majors, can attest to that.
4. The bullpen is a big reason why the Giants have gotten off to such a good start
The San Francisco Giants are perhaps MLB's most surprising team right now, and their bullpen is a huge reason why. In fact, the Giants lead the majors with a sparkling 2.35 bullpen ERA, and they don't get enough recognition for that.
The Giants' bullpen doesn't have many household names, but Bob Melvin has many arms to turn to, and they're all vastly different. Camilo Doval is a fireballer pitching like an All-Star again after a 2024 campaign to forget, and he has reclaimed the closer job. Tyler Rogers is a submariner who pitches seemingly every single day, and he has a 1.48 ERA in 32 appearances. Randy Rodriguez has been MLB's best reliever nobody has ever heard of, allowing just two runs in 28.1 innings of work (0.64 ERA). Erik Miller has been dominant against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .538 OPS.
Ryan Walker is the only regular in their bullpen struggling, and even he has a FIP (3.24) over a run and a half lower than his ERA (4.94). The Giants' bullpen is deep, and can beat a team in many ways. I need to see them keep this up for longer before I can bump them higher than this, but there's a lot to like about what the Giants' bullpen has done.
3. Edwin Diaz is back and is leading the charge for the Mets' bullpen
Edwin Diaz returned to the New York Mets last season after missing the 2023 campaign due to injury, but he never quite looked like the Diaz of old. This season, though, he's been dominant, and particularly lately. He has a 2.39 ERA, has converted 14 saves in 15 tries, and has allowed just one run in 14 appearances since the start of May.
Diaz isn't locking games down alone, though. Reed Garrett has a sub-1.00 ERA, Huascar Brazoban has a 1.72 ERA while going multiple innings on several occasions, and Ryne Stanek has been mostly reliable when Carlos Mendoza has turned to him.
New York's 2.85 bullpen ERA is the second-best mark in the majors, and that's while throwing the 10th most innings in the league. They've been used often, and have had immense success in spite of that. The loss of A.J. Minter for the season is why they aren't higher on this list, but if they acquire a left-hander they can trust late in games, they might top this list by the season's end.
2. The Twins might have the most underrated bullpen in the game
Not only does Jhoan Duran have perhaps the best bullpen entrance song in the game, but his stuff is ridiculous, and his numbers are off the charts. He has a 1.23 ERA in 30 appearances, he's held the opposition to a .178 batting average, and he has converted nine saves in 10 tries. Duran is the big name in this Minnesota Twins' bullpen, but the relievers around him are incredibly underrated.
Louis Varland, Cole Sands, and Justin Topa are all relievers in addition to Duran, who have made at least 22 appearances while posting a sub-3.00 ERA. Brock Stewart is one appearance away from joining that club. As is Danny Coulombe, who has yet to allow a single run in his 16.2 innings of work. Minnesota has six relievers Rocco Baldelli can conceivably rely on, and that's not even including Griffin Jax, a set-up man who has had a down year but has been a lynchpin in Minnesota's bullpen for quite some time.
This bullpen is absurd, and it feels as if they have more room to grow once Jax starts to get going. The Twins have turned their season around, and the fact that they lead the majors in bullpen fWAR (3.0) by more than one full win is a big reason why. Their bullpen, as great as it is, can't quite measure up to one team.
1. Padres' three-headed bullpen monster can't be topped
The San Diego Padres are littered with star power everywhere you turn, but their bullpen is their best unit, and is, in my opinion, the best of any bullpen in the game. Their three-headed monster late in games is a huge reason why.
Robert Suarez leads the majors with 21 saves, and he's blown only two opportunities while posting a 1.84 ERA. Jason Adam is tied for third in the majors with 15 holds, and has a 1.64 ERA. Jeremiah Estrada has 11 holds and a 2.31 ERA while holding an elite 34.5 percent strikeout rate. These relievers are all on the same team, making the Padres incredibly tough to beat late in games.
Guys like Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, and Yuki Matsui have pitched well this season, but what makes this bullpen the best in the game is the back-end. It's as unbeatable as it gets, and it's hard to fathom the fact that Tanner Scott was in this bullpen last season.