2026 Bullpen Power Rankings - Week 2

Published April 7, 2026

It's still too early to declare true winners and losers in the ever-shifting MLB bullpen landscape. But two weeks in, there are some trends starting to emerge that are worth digging into.

The Top 5

Atlanta is the only bullpen still sporting an ERA below one (currently 0.95). It's interesting that the top-ranked bullpen belongs to a team sitting at 6-5, but the numbers speak for themselves. The pen is 2-for-2 on save opportunities (Raisel Iglesias and Osvaldo Bido) and all seven relievers have looked above average through the first two weeks. The only pitcher carrying a FIP over 3.00 is Joel Payamps. It's a long season, and the dog days of summer can be tough on pitchers in Atlanta, but you couldn't ask for a better start from this group.

Not a surprise, but the consistency has been impressive. This squad is 4-for-4 converting save opportunities with 8 holds. The bullpen ERA sits at 2.08 and the K% of 29.8% is exceptional across nearly 40 innings pitched. Trevor Megill remains the clear closer, though Angel Zerpa also logged a save on April 6th (Megill had pitched the two days prior). With strong numbers against both left- and right-handed hitters, this looks like one of the more well-rounded bullpens in baseball right now.

The Dodgers are playing like the best team in baseball this week and the bullpen has been on a strong run as well, sporting an impressively efficient 8% walk rate. The team is 3-for-3 on save opportunities, all by Edwin Diaz. A lot of their recent games have been something of a blowout, but the pen has managed to stay focused and is performing well.

With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt all on the Injured List, the Yankees are leaning heavily on their bullpen and the group has responded. They're running just shy of a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate, which is especially notable given the increased workload. The left-handed trio of Ryan Yarbrough, Tim Hill, and Brent Headrick have yet to give up an earned run across a combined 12.1 innings pitched. If the rotation injuries linger, this pen will be tested, but the early results suggest they may be able to handle it.

The Padres' starting pitching has been a wild ride the first two weeks, putting more pressure on a bullpen that came in with high expectations. A few isolated rough outings from the pen have kept the overall numbers from looking elite, but San Diego has enough talent to hold on to a top-5 spot. Mason Miller still looks like the best closer in the league, and the combination of that nasty slider and high-velocity four-seamer has been nearly unhittable. He hasn't given up an earned run yet. Behind him, David Morgan's stock is quietly rising with 7 innings of work across 5 outings without surrendering an earned run. If the starting pitching stabilizes, this bullpen should boost the Padres this season.

Biggest Movers

Rising: Philadelphia Phillies (24th to 17th)

The expectations for Jhoan Duran were high, and he's living up to them so far this season with a 33.3% strikeout rate, a solid 4-pitch per batter faced average, and 4 early season saves (4-for-4). The rest of the bullpen still has some work to do on consistency, outside of Tim Mayza who has performed extremely well (0.00 ERA in 7.0 innings of work across 5 games).

Falling: San Francisco Giants (8th to 18th)

The Giants' relievers have had a rough go of it so far. Despite 0 earned runs given up by Matt Gage, Caleb Kilian, and Blade Tidwell, the squad ERA has ballooned to 5.06 across 37.1 innings of work. They came into the spring without a proven setup man or a reliable closer, and things still don't appear to be any closer to being sorted out. There's still a lot of time left, but we expected more from this group.

Other Notable Movers

The Mets are one of the biggest climbers this week, rising from 12th to 6th behind a 1.66 ERA. Seattle made a similar jump (14th to 7th) with a 2.21 ERA and the pen looking sharp despite the team's 4-7 record. The Reds climbed 6 spots to 13th, converting 6 of 8 save opportunities with a 2.84 ERA. Pittsburgh also rose 5 spots to 10th, and the Angels jumped from 20th to 15th on the strength of a 2.83 ERA.

On the other side, the Marlins dropped 7 spots from last week's No. 1 ranking to 8th after the pen posted a 4.06 ERA. The Cubs fell from 9th to 16th with a 4.55 ERA and just 2 saves in 5 opportunities. Washington tumbled 7 spots to 29th with a 6.30 ERA and heavy fatigue, and the Blue Jays slid from 16th to 20th while converting only 1 of 6 save opportunities.

View the full Season Long Power Rankings here.

-- InsidethePen Staff