The MLB trade deadline is officially in the rearview mirror, and the stretch run has officially begun. Teams are going to hope to go on a run, allowing them to get in and succeed in the playoffs. An easy way for teams to succeed is getting consistently reliable production from their bullpens.
The bullpen is often overlooked by fans, but not executives. In fact, several teams, even ones like the San Diego Padres, who have an elite bullpen, ended up pursuing and acquiring high-end bullpen upgrades.
Last season, we saw the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series despite having just three healthy starters in October. Sure, having a great offense helped, but they wouldn't have won it all without their outstanding and deep bullpen.
A look at what the MLB standings would look like if they were based on ERA highlight the teams that might be built to win in the postseason.
Team Bullpen ERA pic.twitter.com/Y5lYccc9FZ
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 2, 2025
Note: All bullpen ERA's and records are before games on Saturday, August 2.
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MLB standings by bullpen ERA
AL East
Rank | Team | Bullpen ERA | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Red Sox | 3.33 | 60-51 |
2 | Tampa Bay Rays | 3.80 | 54-57 |
3 | Toronto Blue Jays | 3.99 | 64-47 |
4 | New York Yankees | 4.32 | 60-50 |
5 | Baltimore Orioles | 4.68 | 50-60 |
The bullpen has been the New York Yankees' biggest weakness virtually all season long, and in an effort to rectify that, they acquired David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird at the trade deadline. It looked as if Brian Cashman had done a superb job making a weakness into a clear strength, but if the first game of the new-look 'pen was any indication, there might be more improvement needed.
AL Central
Rank | Team | Bullpen ERA | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cleveland Guardians | 3.64 | 55-54 |
2 | Kansas City Royals | 3.77 | 55-55 |
3 | Chicago White Sox | 3.86 | 41-69 |
4 | Detroit Tigers | 4.20 | 64-47 |
5 | Minnesota Twins | 4.38 | 51-58 |
The 2025 season has been a magical one for the most part for the Detroit Tigers, but the team's bullpen has been below-average, and didn't get much better at the deadline. Sure, Kyle Finnegan has his share of saves, but he doesn't generate many whiffs and has a 4.38 ERA this season. Who else did they add? Rafael Montero is nothing more than a low-leverage option, and Paul Sewald is injured. Tigers fans wanted to see more, and it isn't hard to blame them.
AL West
Rank | Team | Bullpen ERA | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Houston Astros | 3.38 | 62-48 |
2 | Texas Rangers | 3.40 | 57-54 |
3 | Seattle Mariners | 3.66 | 59-52 |
4 | Los Angeles Angels | 5.06 | 53-57 |
5 | Athletics | 5.26 | 49-63 |
The Texas Rangers, against all odds, have the fifth-best bullpen ERA in the game, and they made a pair of under-the-radar additions - Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe- to that unit. Texas lacks an established closer, which could come back to bite them in October, but they have many reliable back-end options for Bruce Bochy to turn to.
NL East
Rank | Team | Bullpen ERA | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Mets | 3.79 | 62-48 |
2 | Miami Marlins | 4.04 | 53-55 |
3 | Atlanta Braves | 4.29 | 46-63 |
4 | Philadelphia Phillies | 4.48 | 62-47 |
5 | Washington Nationals | 5.72 | 44-65 |
The New York Mets' bullpen has had its ups and downs this season, but is a top 10 unit based on ERA. Adding Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley at the deadline should help immensely. As should the Philadelphia Phillies' acquisitions of Jhoan Duran and David Robertson, but Philadelphia might come to regret not making another bullpen addition when all is said and done.
NL Central
Rank | Team | Bullpen ERA | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | St. Louis Cardinals | 3.51 | 55-56 |
2 | Chicago Cubs | 3.82 | 64-45 |
3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 3.96 | 47-63 |
4 | Cincinnati Reds | 3.99 | 58-53 |
5 | Milwaukee Brewers | 4.04 | 65-44 |
The St. Louis Cardinals have the best bullpen ERA in the NL Central, but it'll be interesting to see if that will last after they traded away Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz at the trade deadline. A lot will be resting on JoJo Romero's shoulders to lock things down late in games.
NL West
Rank | Team | Bullpen ERA | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Diego Padres | 2.96 | 61-49 |
2 | San Francisco Giants | 3.25 | 55-55 |
3 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 4.22 | 64-46 |
4 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 4.90 | 51-59 |
5 | Colorado Rockies | 5.22 | 29-80 |
The Padres have the best bullpen ERA in the game, and just traded for Mason Miller. Now, with Miller, Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada, the Padres can conceivably win any given game as long as their starter can get nine or 12 outs. Their bullpen is that good and deep. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Brock Stewart in response, but considering how their bullpen has underwhelmed this season, it remains to be seen if that's enough.