Dominant starting pitchers have long been a primary face of Major League Baseball, and the newest crop of superstars are no exception as the likes of Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal take center stage. However, a successful team also requires a sound bullpen to retain a lead or keep their team in close games. As we head into the second half of the season for MLB betting and gain more clarity on the postseason picture, we'll take a look at which team's relief corps are closing the door and which are lighting fires.
To aid us in the exercise, we created this exclusive "misery index" of MLB bullpens. Using key stats such as blown saves, relief ERA, relief losses and run support in the 6th through 9th innings, we assigned ranks in each category to every team and calculated an overall score. Each team was assigned a rank of 1 to 30 in each category, with 30 representing the worst performance and 1 the best. The lower the total of the misery index, the better. Let's dig into the results with key takeaways that could be useful for MLB betting sites users.
| Rank | Teams | Blown Saves | BS Rank | Relief ERA | ERA Rank | Relief Losses | Relief Loss Rank | Run Support (6th - 9th Inning) | Run Support Rank | Total Score |
1 | Colorado Rockies | 17 | 27 | 4.85 | 26 | 19 | 24 | 1.57 | 26 | 103 |
2 | Chicago White Sox | 16 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 30 | 30 | 1.51 | 28 | 96 |
3 | Los Angeles Angels | 22 | 30 | 5.02 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 1.7 | 20 | 92 |
T4 | Athletics | 17 | 27 | 5.5 | 29 | 14 | 8 | 1.68 | 23 | 87 |
T4 | Texas Rangers | 17 | 27 | 3.37 | 4 | 23 | 29 | 1.55 | 27 | 87 |
T6 | Minnesota Twins | 14 | 17 | 4.14 | 22 | 22 | 28 | 1.78 | 18 | 85 |
T6 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | 18 | 3.76 | 12 | 20 | 26 | 1.47 | 29 | 85 |
8 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 17 | 27 | 4.94 | 27 | 18 | 22 | 2.01 | 8 | 84 |
9 | Philadelphia Phillies | 17 | 27 | 4.38 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 1.94 | 12 | 77 |
10 | New York Mets | 17 | 27 | 3.83 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 1.94 | 12 | 75 |
T11 | Baltimore Orioles | 12 | 9 | 4.63 | 25 | 17 | 19 | 1.79 | 17 | 70 |
T11 | Tampa Bay Rays | 16 | 20 | 3.91 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 1.82 | 16 | 70 |
13 | Atlanta Braves | 14 | 17 | 3.55 | 7 | 19 | 24 | 1.76 | 19 | 67 |
14 | Boston Red Sox | 18 | 29 | 3.44 | 5 | 21 | 27 | 2.14 | 3 | 64 |
15 | Seattle Mariners | 18 | 29 | 3.75 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 2.05 | 6 | 63 |
T16 | Kansas City Royals | 12 | 9 | 3.68 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 1.27 | 30 | 62 |
T16 | Washington Nationals | 14 | 17 | 5.88 | 30 | 13 | 5 | 1.96 | 10 | 62 |
T18 | Cincinnati Reds | 11 | 5 | 3.96 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 1.69 | 21 | 59 |
T18 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 14 | 17 | 4.38 | 24 | 16 | 17 | 2.34 | 1 | 59 |
T18 | Miami Marlins | 14 | 17 | 4.05 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 1.98 | 9 | 59 |
21 | Milwaukee Brewers | 12 | 9 | 4 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 1.89 | 14 | 55 |
22 | San Diego Padres | 11 | 5 | 3.2 | 2 | 18 | 22 | 1.59 | 25 | 54 |
23 | New York Yankees | 10 | 3 | 4.08 | 20 | 20 | 26 | 2.08 | 4 | 53 |
24 | Detroit Tigers | 13 | 10 | 4.13 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 1.84 | 15 | 51 |
T25 | San Francisco Giants | 14 | 17 | 3.14 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 1.65 | 24 | 50 |
T25 | St. Louis Cardinals | 14 | 17 | 3.81 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 2.05 | 6 | 50 |
T27 | Cleveland Guardians | 12 | 9 | 3.71 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 1.68 | 23 | 47 |
T27 | Toronto Blue Jays | 17 | 27 | 3.57 | 8 | 13 | 5 | 2.03 | 7 | 47 |
29 | Houston Astros | 10 | 3 | 3.3 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1.89 | 14 | 21 |
30 | Chicago Cubs | 10 | 3 | 3.54 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 2.18 | 2 | 19 |
Importance of a Strong Bullpen
Of the 10 best bullpens in our index heading out of the All-Star break, seven of those teams are currently in playoff position. The other three (the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians) are out of a postseason spot by 0.5, 1.5 and 4.5 games, respectively.
Taking this analysis one step further for fans and fantasy baseball players, four of the six teams currently leading their division have bullpens inside the top 10 of our index, including each of the three best (Cubs, Astros, Blue Jays). Finally, of the 10 best records in the league, eight are inside the top 10 in our bullpen index.
While these results could be causation rather than correlation, there is a strong relationship between good bullpens and winning.
Contenders that Should Look to Upgrade their Bullpen
The Mets and Phillies stand out as contenders that should seek to upgrade their bullpen by the July 31 trade deadline. The Mets have a bona fide closer in Edwin Diaz, plus setup men Reed Garrett and Huascar Brazoban have both been solid. However, the rest of the team's relief corps is littered with injury and inconsistency.
The Phillies are in something of the opposite situation. They have several arms that should be capable of getting the job done in high-leverage spots, such as Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering, with Tanner Banks occasionally mixing in. However, the struggles of Jordan Romano and the suspension of Jose Alvarado have made things difficult. Alvarado will be eligible to return in August, but he won't be allowed to pitch in any postseason contests. That makes adding to the bullpen in Philadelphia a priority.
Which Relievers will be Available on the Market?
The Guardians and Marlins are the highest-ranking teams on the index that have either been rumored to sell or appear to be out of the playoff hunt. The Guardians could have the prize of the trade deadline in Emmanuel Clase, and he could jumpstart a rebuild if Cleveland gives up on the postseason. The Marlins don't have one standout option in the bullpen, but Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher could generate some interest.
The Nationals, Braves and Pirates could also change the landscape of the league at the trade deadline. Kyle Finnegan, David Bednar and Dennis Santana are all pretty clear trade candidates. What Atlanta does with Raisel Iglesias will be a true wild card. Iglesias is a pending free agent and would help solidify the back of a contending team's bullpen, though it's unclear if the team is willing to give up on its postseason chances.
