2026 NL East Positional Rankings: Bullpen
We continue our 2026 National League East positional rankings today with each team’s bullpen.
Every offseason, there is a lot of turnover in bullpens, and this year it’s no different. One elite closer exited the NL East, while another one enters his first full season in the division, and another signed on to be a setup man. Here’s how we have ranked the division’s units.
5. Nationals
The Nationals owned the majors’ worst bullpen ERA in 2025 by a healthy margin, with an ugly mark of 5.59 (the Rockies had the second-worst at 5.18). Washington traded their closer, Kyle Finnegan, to the Tigers at the trade deadline. Finnegan’s replacement, Jose Ferrer, was dealt to the Mariners in December in exchange for Harry Ford. Fangraphs projects Washington’s bullpen to have the third-worst ERA and lowest fWAR in 2026. The Nationals have a very young relief corps, led by Clayton Beeter, Cole Henry and Jackson Rutledge – and it’s likely their top arms will be available on the trade market this summer.
4. Marlins
The Marlins appeared to have found a gem for the back end of their bullpen in Ronny Henriquez, but unfortunately, he will miss all of the 2026 season recovering from elbow surgery. Miami slightly offset that loss by signing fireballing righty Pete Fairbanks, who racked up 75 saves with a 2.98 ERA over the last three seasons with the Rays. Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips are all slated to be high-leverage arms again for Miami, but the depth wears thin beyond those arms. Nevertheless, the Marlins’ unit represents a huge step forward from what Washington has to offer.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
3. Mets
The Mets’ bullpen crumbled in the second half of 2025, then was dealt a huge blow when Edwin Díaz signed with the Dodgers. However, the bullpen improved in some ways – three of the biggest culprits of the team’s struggles – Ryne Stanek, Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley – all left in free agency. Brought in to replace some of those arms were a pair of righties from the Bronx in Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, both of whom are coming off inconsistent years but are candidates to recover from their 2025 struggles. Williams is slated to serve as the team’s closer, and he showed some signs of his old self late in the season, posting a 2.65 ERA with 31 strikeouts against six walks over his final 18 appearances of the regular season, then threw four scoreless frames in the postseason.
The Mets are also expected to get A.J. Minter back, who was excellent in 13 appearances before undergoing shoulder surgery. Another southpaw, Brooks Raley, pitched very well in 2025 after returning from Tommy John surgery in the second half of the season. The team also signed hard-throwing veteran Luis García, who posted a 2.00 ERA in 20 appearances for the Angels, and acquired Tobias Myers in the Freddy Peralta trade, who posted a 1.91 ERA as a reliever in 2025. While the Mets have big shoes to fill in the ninth inning, the depth of the team’s bullpen is much stronger than it was a season ago.
2. Braves
The Braves’ bullpen got off to a rocky start in 2025, but seemed to find its form in the second half of the season. Raisel Iglesias posted a 1.76 ERA in 30 2/3 second half innings, Dylan Lee posted a 2.08 ERA in September, and Tyler Kinley dominated to the tune of a 0.72 ERA in 25 innings after being traded from the Rockies. Atlanta not only retained Iglesias and Kinley in free agency, but they also added NL saves leader and two-time All-Star Robert Suarez to serve as a setup man for Iglesias. On paper, Iglesias and Suarez form one of the best back-end duos in the game, though it’s hard to predict how Suarez will fare in a non-closing role. Atlanta’s unit is a bit top-heavy, but they project to be one of the best bullpens in baseball, with their 3.91 ERA tied for fourth in the majors.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
1. Phillies
For the first half of 2025, the Phillies struggled to find a closer. Then, at the trade deadline, they traded for flamethrowing righty Jhoan Duran, and now they get to keep him for two more seasons. Duran looked as good as advertised in Philadelphia, posting a 2.18 ERA in 23 appearances, helping the Phillies win the NL East. Philadelphia traded former All-Star Matt Strahm to the Royals, but they signed Brad Keller, who is coming off a career year with the Cubs, in which he posted a 2.07 ERA and saw his fastball velocity increase by over three miles per hour. The Phillies also return three solid arms from the 2025 corps – righty Orion Kerkering, and southpaws Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks. Alvarado missed much of the season due to suspension for a failed drug test, but he was decently effective when on the field. FanGraphs projects Philadelphia’s bullpen to be the third-most valuable in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers and Padres.
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