#relief-pitchers

#relief-pitchers

Historically, Cade Smith has taken the fWAR-for-relievers crown in each of the last two seasons, by a nose. Before that, you have a procession of Tanner Scott, Edwin Diaz, Liam Hendriks (three seasons in a row), Blake Treinen, and Kenley Jansen (twice in a row). Projections-wise, Steamer has Mason Miller as the preseason/on-paper champ in this regard right now,

Here's something that bedevils me: for the last few years, the Braves have consistently made minor moves for relief-esque arms that have involved players with truly horrible stats. Look, the state of pitching development at this point is that teams probably don't care about stats, even advanced ERA estimators, in a vacuum. But still, it's been kind of crazy to me that the Braves are just consistently grabbing these guys that look way worse than your standard 26th man, and occasionally even using them in Triple-A,

The MLB free agent class for relief pitchers got stronger with longtime Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks joining the group after the team declined to pick up his 2026 option worth $11 million. The right-hander is coming off another solid season as he went 4-5 with a 2.83 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.04 WHIP and 27 saves in 60.1 innings pitched across 61 appearances. Fairbanks is part of a talented class of relievers that includes Edwin Díaz, Robert Suárez, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan, among others.

The Los Angeles Dodgers invested heavily into their bullpen last offseason, signing Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, who were widely considered the top-two relievers available on the free agent market and across baseball overall. Despite their additions, the bullpen was a major issue for the Dodgers throughout the season, both due to injuries and players underperforming. Scott, Yates, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart and Blake Treinen all missed time due to injuries.

Nelson is the only member of that group who spent more than one season with Arizona. The Snakes claimed the 29-year-old reliever off waivers from Cleveland over the 2021-22 offseason. Nelson pitched to a 2.19 ERA across 43 appearances during his first season in the desert. His numbers tailed off in 2023 and he hasn't been much of a factor over the past two seasons.

Over the weekend the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced it has established a Relief Pitcher of the Year award - one in each league - beginning in 2026. It will become the fifth honor doled out by the BBWAA each year, joining the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards.

The sheer volume of true needle-moving deals at the trade deadline is unprecedented in recent history, featuring both superstars on expiring contracts and controllable star talent.

The Mariners kicked off deadline season by trading for Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor, and continue to seek further roster improvement and a high-leverage reliever.