1. New York Yankees – The Yankees have the best bullpen in Major League Baseball right now, and Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, two of the best relievers in all of baseball, certainly help their case. JT Brubaker who has not pitched since 2022 is also in their bullpen, there is a lot of depth in the Yankees’ bullpen. They have arms like Tim Hill, Ian Hamilton, Fernando Cruz, and Mark Leiter Jr. pitching in the later innings.  
2. Minnesota Twins – The Twins have one of the best bullpens in all of baseball, led by 27 year old Dominican Jhoan Duran and setup man Griffin Jax, who was one of the breakout relief pitchers in 2024. Danny Coulombe is their only left-handed pitcher, but he did very well last season, posting a 2.83 FIP in 33 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks round out the top 3, and they have probably the least top heavy bullpen in the top 3, but definitely the most well rounded. AJ Puk and Justin Martinez take the co-closer role according to their Fangraphs depth chart, while Kevin Ginkel rounds out their end of game relievers. Kendall Graveman comes back from a season-long hiatus after shoulder surgery, and Ryan Thompson will also support their middle relief group.

1. Cleveland Guardians – The Guardians have arguably the best closer in all of Major League Baseball, him being Emmanuel Clase, and arguably the best setup man in all of Major League Baseball, him being Cade Smith. The Guardians also have two other relievers with a sub-2.00 ERA in 60+ innings pitched, those being Tim Herrin, and Hunter Gaddis. Andrew Walters and Erik Sabrowski could also have breakout seasons. 

1. Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers also have an elite closer-setup men combo, having Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Blake Treinen. They pitched to 1.75, 1.17, and a 1.93 ERAs respectively. The Dodgers bullpen recorded a 7.0 WAR in 2024 as well.

1. Philadelphia Phillies – Jordan Romano was a good pickup for the Phillies, and Philadelphia will hope that Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering will both keep their 2024 form. The California native Kerkering is only 23 years old with a lot of potential, however, the bullpen in general is not a very young group. The youngest relief pitcher on the team is 29 years old not counting Kerkering, so a lot of regression is expected

1. Atlanta Braves – Not traveling out of the NL East, Raisel Iglesias will lead the Braves as their closer, and behind him as the Braves’ setup men will be Pierce Johnson and Aaron Bummer, according to their Fangraphs depth chart. While it may seem like a bad idea to bring someone out who only throws an average fastball velocity as a closer, Raisel Iglesias is still arguably a top 5 closer in the Major Leagues at the age of 35. Dylan Lee is also a key piece in the middle relief group for Atlanta.

1. Baltimore Orioles – With the long-awaited return of flame-throwing closer Felix Bautista, who has not pitched competitively in Major League Baseball since 2023, the Orioles look to replicate their success from that year. Andrew Kittredge, Yennier Cano, Seranthony Dominguez, and Keegan Akin will all compete for the 2 setup men spots, and they also have Gregory Soto and Cionel Perez in their bullpen.

1. San Diego Padres – 2 breakouts from last season lead the way in the Padres bullpen, them being Robert Suarez and Jeremiah Estrada. Along with those two, Jason Adam will also pitch late innings, and Yuki Matsui is also expected to make an impact. Bryan Hoeing will be the innings eater, and Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, and Alek Jacob will likely round out the middle relief group.

1. New York Mets – While closer Edwin Diaz leads the group, the Mets bullpen is very solid all around. With many returners such as Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett who can back up closer Edwin Diaz, and a middle relief group likely consisting of Jose Butto, Danny Young, Huascar Brazoban, Genesis Cabrera, and possibly AJ Minter whose opening day status is “still possible” according to the headline of this article by the New York Post. 

1. Kansas City Royals – The main headline of the offseason for the Royals was acquiring lockdown closer Carlos Estevez, who played for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies in 2024. Setup man Lucas Erceg, who will also likely compete for the closer spot early on in 2025, had a very good postseason with Kansas City in 2024, with a 3.00 ERA in 6 innings pitched. He also shut down the Orioles in the first round, allowing only one walk, no hits, and no runs, along with earning the save in both games. The other relievers include setup man Hunter Harvey, long reliever Carlos Hernandez, and a middle relief group of John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, and Chris Stratton. Kris Bubic will also be in the mix, but he is projected to be a starting pitcher for the Royals.

1. Boston Red Sox – While the Red Sox have no cemented closer, Justin Slaten is one of the best setup men in all of baseball at only 27 years old. The full season return of Garrett Whitlock will help as well, and the closer options will be Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman. Josh Winckowski can eat innings for the squad, Brennan Bernardino, Greg Weissert, and offseason signing Justin Wilson will round out the middle relief group, while Luis Guerrero and Zack Kelly are also middle relief options.

1. Texas Rangers – The vast majority of their relievers will be newcomers at Globe Life Field, with the Rangers picking up Chris Martin, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, and Luke Jackson in free agency, picking up Robert Garcia in the Nathaniel Lowe trade, and rookie Marc Church entering in a middle relief role. Dane Dunning will take over a long relief role, as the former starter can be a solid innings eater for the squad. 

1. Athletics – Mason Miller, a top 5 closer in all of baseball, will attempt to replicate his impressive 2024 campaign where he recorded a 0.88 WHIP and a 2.18 FIP. Backing Miller up will be setup men Jose Leclerc and Tyler Ferguson, and Michel Otanez will headline the middle relief group. Otanez impressed me in his short time in the Majors in 2024, as he posted a 39.9% whiff rate, and a 36.4% K %. The other relief pitchers will be returner TJ McFarland, rookie Grant Holman, rule 5 draft pick Noah Murdock, and Jacob Lopez who the A’s acquired in the Jeffrey Springs trade.

1. Miami Marlins – Andrew Nardi, Calvin Faucher, and Jesus Tinoco are all in my top 100 list, Anthony Bender will be a setup man temporarily because of Nardi’s injury, and Declan Cronin, Anthony Veneziano, Lake Bachar, Ronny Henriquez, and Connor Gillispie round out the bullpen.

The rest of the rankings:

1. Chicago Cubs
2. Seattle Mariners
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. San Francisco Giants
6. Toronto Blue Jays
7. Detroit Tigers
8. Houston Astros
9. Los Angeles Angels
10. Tampa Bay Rays
11. Pittsburgh Pirates
12. Cincinnati Reds
13. Washington Nationals
14. Chicago White Sox
15. Colorado Rockies