Ranking the Best Bullpens Heading Into 2016

Over the past few years, the importance of a quality bullpen has grown, and grown noticeably. late inning relief played a big part in Kansas City's World Series run in 2014, and World Series win in 2015. Even the 2014 Giants had a helpful hand from their bullpen, which included contributions from Jean Machi, Jeremy Affeldt, Yusmeiro Petit, and the "uber-closer" Madison Bumgarner. 2016 looks to be no different, as teams have used the copy-cat strategy in attempt to build the next potent bullpen to lead them to a championship. The Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Mariners all made strides this offseason to build a better bullpen. Even the Royals, who lost closer Greg Holland after non-tendering him, signed one of the top pitchers on the free agent market to add to the plethora of talent already present. With all these upgrades coming at a position that was once overlooked and considered overpriced, we are going to take a look at each of the teams, and rank which ones are the best of the best. Ladies and gentleman I present to you my 2016 bullpen rankings.

Just Missed the Cut: Houston Astros

Number 5
Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles re-upped their man Darren O'Day to a 4 year, $31m deal in December. He tested the market, and received serious interest from many clubs, but decided to stick with the club that took him on board in 2012 after a very poor 2011. In his Orioles career he has posted a 1.92 ERA, 3.08 FIP, and good 9.7 K/9. His value to the bullpen, and the team as a whole proved he is worth the $31m he's getting. But he isn't the only one who is worth noting in that bullpen. The success story of Zach Britton is still ongoing in Baltimore, as the once starter has become one of the best 9th inning guys in the sport. Britton posted a 1.92 ERA, 2.01 FIP, and a .99 WHIP, with 10.8 strikeouts per 9 last season, and made his first all-star appearance. Baltimore also has another starter-turned-reliever in Matusz, who has been a very solid Middle-reliever for the O's. Jason Garcia is only 23, and still has the potential to be a solid bullpen piece for the O's in this upcoming season. Chaz Roe even showed some quality pitching this past season. Look for this bullpen to be an underdog in 2016.


Number 4
St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have been the epitome of how to run an organization. They have depth in every aspect of the game, and their record shows that. Relief pitching is no different. Not only to they have one of the top closers in the game, but they also have a quality set-up man. Trevor Rosenthal is only 25 years of age, but he has quickly proven he is a legitimate force in the back end of the Cards 'pen. He posted a 2.10 ERA, 2.42 FIP, 10.9 K/9 and 1.26 WHIP in 68 and 2/3 innings pitched in the 2015 campaign, and that was coming off a mediocre 2014 season (by his standards). In the set-up role the Cardinals have Kevin Siegrist. Siegrist had a breakout season last year at the nice young age of 25, proving he still has a bright future ahead. He posted an ERA of 2.17, 2.91 FIP, and a K/9 of 10.8 in 74.2 innings, and he lead the league with 81 appearances. Jonathan Broxton was also a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals last half season after getting dealt from the Brewers. He posted a 2.66 mark after 23.2 innings with his new organization. There is also a case for 27 year old Seth Maness to rebound from a pretty bad 2015. It's evident the Cardinals bullpen is rooted around youth, so it's easy to see them being good for a long time after 2016 as well.


Number 3
Boston Red Sox

Dave Dombrowski came to the Sox in August, and he quickly moved to make the Red Sox a better team in 2016 after 2 straight disappointing seasons following the World Series win in 2013. Dombrowski inherited a stocked farm, and quickly dealt from it to get one of the best closers in baseball. He then made a quick move for an underrated setup man, and in turn sent a guy who seemed to have no fit in Boston anymore. DD's reputation of not being able to build a bullpen was quickly put to rest, as he put together a Top 3 relief corps according to this blog. Craig Kimbrel has seemed to be a god by many. The closer originated from the Alanta Braves, then was dealt to the Padres, and then flipped a year later to the Red Sox, much to his joy. Kimbrel has a jaw-dropping career ERA of 1.63, an even more astonishing FIP of 1.73, and awe-inspiring K/9 of 14.5. It's clear to see why BlitzCraig has been considered the premier reliever in the sport. Not only do the Sox have 1 closer, they have another in the age-less Koji Uehara. Koji had been the Red Sox closer since 2013, but he has since given up the role for the guy mentioned above. Koji has a 1.86 ERA in his Red Sox career, with a 2.33 FIP and .77 WHIP. His 2015 campaign wasn't his best, but he still put up a 2.23 mark, with a 10.5 K/9 in his shortened season. A broken wrist ended his season early, and the loss of him pretty much caused an implosion of the rest of the 'pen. His injury mixed with his age most likely led to the acquisition of Kimbrel. The Red Sox 'pen also has Carson Smith, who broke out last season with a 2.31 ERA on a 2.12 FIP with an 11.8 K/9. All this includes the ever-so-reliable Junichi Tazawa. While his ERA wasn't good last season, his 3.05 FIP made it look a lot better. Last year he had concerns of overuse, but the 2 new additions to the 'pen should help alleviate the concerns for 2016.


Number 2
Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals rode their Bullpen to a World Series win in 2015, even with the loss of stud closer Greg Holland due to injury late into the campaign. Greg Holland has since been subtracted after being non-tendered this offseason. The Royals wasted no time, and signed stud reliever Joakim Soria to replace the ex-Royal. Wade Davis' effectiveness as a set-up man translated well for him in the closer's role, and he will most likely be given the same duties again this upcoming season. Davis had a 0.94 ERA last season, with a 0.77 WHIP and 17 saves in 67.1 IP. He finished 6th in Cy Young voting, and 28th in MVP voting and received his first career All-Star nod. But Davis hasn't always been this successful. He was originally a starter, and was not effeve. He was traded to Kansas City with James Shields for Wil Myers, and turned to reliever full-time in 2014. In addition, the Royals have 2 elite setup men in flame thrower Kelvin Herrera, and Joakim Soria. Herrera is entering his age 26 season in 2016, and he still has 3 years of team control left. He was able to make his first all-star appearance after what seems to be his worst season in the majors. A 2.71 ERA mixed with a 3.44 FIP, Herrera will most likely bounce back from his mediacore season and produce a noticeably better season. Joakim Soria was signed by the Royals in the offseason to a 3 year $25m contract. He posted some elite numbers with the Pirates in the second half of the 2015 season. His 2.03 ERA, 1.93 FIP, 9.5 K/9, and 1.163 WHIP are what Kansas City is hoping for in their bid to repeat as World Champions in 2016.


Number 1
New York Yankees

Well, we made it folks! We're here at #1, and the Yankees have topped our list of the best bullpens heading into 2016. Who else did you expect to top this list? No, seriously, what other bullpen can top the three-headed monster the Yankees possess in the late-innings? The Yankees probably would've finished top 3 on this list without their latest addition. But the addition of Aroldis Chapman gave the Yankees the ultimate push on this list. The Yankees have 3 relievers who could be closers for almost every other team. Aroldis Chapman will most likely be the guy in the 9th for the Yankees, and we all know how good this guy is, as he is always in a battle with Craig Kimbrel to be considered the premier closer in the league. Chapman consistently throws triple didgets, and currently holds the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown (105.1 mph in 2010). His hard-throwing style makes him one of the most unhittable pitchers in baseball history. He had a 1.63 ERA, with a 1.94 FIP, and a 15.7 K/9 in 66.1 innings in the 2015 season, and that was good enough for his 4th straight all-star nod. Not only do they have him, but they also have another dominant left-hander in Andrew Miller. Miller signed with the Yankees last offseason, and has lived up to his high dollar amount since then. He put up a 2.04 ERA, 2.16 FIP, and a 14.6 K/9, and finished 10th in Cy Young voting this past season. Miller also had a 2.2 WAR, which is impressive for a reliever. Lastly, the final head on the monster, but certainly not the least is the homegrown Dellin Betances. Betances was extremely dominant last season, posting a 1.50 ERA, 2.48 FIP, 1.012 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts per nine, which was good enough for his second straight all-star appearance, and a 14th place finish in Cy Young voting. The Yankees also have some depth behind those 3, as Branden Pinder flashed some quality pitching in his 25 appearances last season, and Chasen Shreve is someone the Yankees could turn to. James Pazos could also find his way into the Opening Day 2016 25-man roster. The Yankees compensated for a lackluster rotation, and in turn built the best bullpen in baseball.