2026 Bullpen Power Rankings - Week 1

Published March 30, 2026

We're less than a week into the 2026 season and the bullpen landscape is already shifting. The preseason favorites haven't all held up, and a couple of pens that flew under the radar are making early statements. Here's where all 30 bullpens stand heading into April.

The Top 5

Sporting a 0.00 ERA through three games with a perfect 2-for-2 in save opportunities, and the highest overall rating in baseball at 91.07, the Marlins jumped from 5th to 1st in this week's season long power rankings. You can't exactly call this a surprise given they started the season at 5th in our curated rankings, but this group has certainly lived up to expectations and then some. Pete Fairbanks has only given up a single hit through his first two outings, and after 3 games (an admittedly tiny sample size) 4 of the relievers here are holding a negative FIP.

Atlanta holds steady at No. 2 after starting at that spot in the preseason rankings. Their pen has posted a 1.50 ERA with an 83.6 effectiveness score. They haven't had a save opportunity yet, and Raisel Iglesias hasn't even been deployed, but the overall production has been clean. Walt Weiss looks willing to play the matchups game and Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee look more than capable of taking out top lefty hitters.

The Yankees are unbeaten and their bullpen is a big reason why. Another 0.00 ERA club with a 2-for-2 mark in saves. They climbed nine spots from 12th to 3rd, posting an 82.9 effectiveness score. Six pitchers have already contributed and the bullpen has already dealt 11 innings, quite a bit more than most of the other top teams this early in the season.

Milwaukee jumped seven spots from 11th to 4th. Their 0.61 ERA is nearly spotless, and they've converted their only save chance. Trevor Megill, Jared Koenig, and Abner Uribe all looked extremely good in their first season work. The one flag here is potential fatigue at -8.4, which is the highest among the top five by a wide margin. But it's early and that shouldn't be an issue now, might be something to watch as the season wears on though.

The Padres dropped from the top spot to 5th after a 1-2 start. The good news: their effectiveness rating is actually still the best in the league at 86.4. The bad news is the ERA jumped to 4.15 and the bullpen pitchers have accumulated 2 blown saves out of only 3 opportunities. The underlying numbers suggest the pen is still very talented, but we expect a lot more from the group led by Mason Miller.

Biggest Movers

Rising: Detroit Tigers (20th to 8th)

The biggest riser in the rankings this week. Detroit jumped 12 spots and posted the largest weekly rating change in the league at +15. Their bullpen ERA sits at 0.00 through a 2-1 start, with an 82.9 effectiveness score and minimal fatigue. They've converted their one save chance so far. I'm honestly not really sure what to make of this group, but it's balanced (3 lefties, 3 righties + their closer) and the results so far speak for themselves.

Falling: Tampa Bay Rays (3rd to 18th)

The biggest fall belongs to Tampa Bay, dropping 15 spots from 3rd all the way to 18th. The numbers are rough: an 11.32 ERA, 0-for-2 in save opportunities, and a 1-2 record. Their effectiveness score (77.5) is still decent, which shows the pen isn't completely lost, but the actual results have been ugly outside of Bryan Baker who looked great in 2 outings.

Other Notable Moves

The Dodgers climbed 11 spots (18th to 7th) behind a 0.00 ERA and 3-0 record. The Cardinals fell nine spots (19th to 28th) with a 10.38 ERA, and the Pirates slid from 4th to 10th with a 4.24 ERA and heavy fatigue (-13.7). Houston, a preseason top-10 pen, dropped from 8th to 17th with a 4.91 ERA and the worst fatigue reading in the league (-19.2).

View the full Season Long Power Rankings here.

-- InsidethePen Staff