MLB standings ordered by most blown saves this season: Chicago dominance is futility

When building an MLB roster, most of the attention goes to position players and starting pitching, as those are seen as the most valuable areas of any given roster. This makes sense, considering the fact that position players have an impact every single game, and starting pitchers cover way more innings each game than relievers (ideally).

While that can be seen as the case, the value of having a good bullpen cannot be overlooked. Look at teams like the Cleveland Guardians and Milwaukee Brewers, for example. They've been led for the most part by their bullpens and are leading their divisions as of this writing.

Nothing is more crushing than losing a game in which the team led late. Bullpens are important, but there are exceptions to almost any rule. With that in mind, let's look at what the standings would look like if they were ordered by blown saves.

Note: All records and blown save figures are from before games on Wednesday, 8/7. All blown save figures are via Baseball Reference.

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MLB standings ordered by most blown saves this season

AL East

The AL East blown save leaderboard is a surprising one for a couple of reasons. First, despite rostering the blown saves leader, Clay Holmes, the New York Yankees only have the fourth-most blown saves in the division. While the rest of their bullpen has had its ups and downs, they've done well holding onto leads bridging to Holmes. Second, the Toronto Blue Jays are towards the bottom of the blown save leaderboard despite their brutal season. That shows how unproductive their lineup and rotation have been.

AL Central

Get this. The Chicago White Sox just won their 28th game of the season, snapping their 21-game losing streak in the process. That win meant they now have the same amount of victories as blown saves. If that's not the ultimate "what can go wrong will go wrong" statistic you'll ever see, I'm not sure what is. Even in the games that the White Sox hold late leads, their bullpen finds ways to blow them.

AL West

One thing that's for certain is that the Houston Astros did not sign Josh Hader to pair with Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu to lead the AL West in blown saves. Their bullpen has underperformed relative to expectations, and that could lead to the team missing out on another division title and even a postseason berth.

NL East

A huge reason why the Atlanta Braves are still holding onto a postseason spot if not the main reason is the fact that their bullpen has been elite. Not only does their bullpen lead the National League with a 2.98 ERA, but they've blown the second-fewest saves in the majors. What's even crazier is that their closer, Raisel Iglesias, is responsible for just two of their 12 blown saves in his 25 attempts.

NL Central

If you're wondering how the Chicago Cubs are four games under .500 despite boasting a positive run differential, their bullpen is why. The Cubs have been at or near the top of blown save leaders for most of the season. Had they not thrown away so many winnable games, they'd be in the thick of the postseason race. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds are three games under .500 despite blowing fewer saves than any other team (by a wide margin too). Funny how that works.

NL West

An under-discussed issue with the Los Angeles Dodgers is their bullpen. Their bullpen ERA is among the best in the majors, but they've had trouble closing out winnable games, making the fact that the San Diego Padres got Tanner Scott and Jason Adam that much more frustrating for Dodgers fans. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks hope that they've rectified their bullpen woes by moving Paul Sewald out of the closer's role.