Ranking AL East bullpens after Hoffman, Kittredge signings

The reliever market, whether it's through free agency or trades, has been very dry throughout this offseason. The key bullpen acquisitions in the AL East were 15-year veteran Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox), Devin Williams (Yankees), Jeff Hoffman (Blue Jays), Andrew Kittredge (Orioles), and a few other notable one-year deals. With this shuffling of relief pieces, how will each club's bullpen match up in the formidable AL East division?

1. Yankees

We believe that the No. 1 bullpen in the AL East goes to the top American League team from the 2024 season. Despite losing in the World Series, the Yankees held a very reliable pitching staff throughout the season, receiving especially impressive performances from their bullpen. Needless to say, a club doesn't win 94 games without a solid back-end of hurlers. It's absolutely necessary to have a group of pitchers that you can trust to close out games.

New York's pen recorded the third best ERA in the American League a season ago and they only improved this offseason with the acquisitions of two time All-Star Devin Williams and underrated right-hander Fernando Cruz. Opposing teams need to get their offense started early against this club because there will be few chances to capitalize on their bullpen arms.

2. Red Sox

The additions of left-handed flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and consistent journeyman Justin Wilson, along with the return of three time All-Star closer Liam Hendriks have strengthened the Boston bullpen and allowed them to jump to No. 2 in our rankings. The combination of the tenured lefties and hard-throwing righties will certainly keep opponents off balance in the later innings of games.

3. Rays

The Rays fall to No. 3 in our AL East bullpen rankings. They only lost Colin Poche and Tyler Alexander, but their additions were minor league players whose potential is yet to be tapped into. As Rays fans, we know that at least one of them will make a major impact on the 2025 bullpen arrangement (*clears throat, Jason Adam), but since we're still a month out of spring training it's fair to drop them down a notch. Top relievers Edwin Uceta and Pete Fairbanks still lead this talented group that looks to improve on their 3.73 ERA in 2024.

4. Orioles

The Orioles bullpen has been battered and beaten over the last few seasons, but the unexpected rise of sinker specialist Yennier Cano and the dominance of Danny Coulombe kept this relief core afloat last season. Craig Kimbrel was disappointing in his age-36 campaign, but trade deadline acquisition Seranthony Dominguez and newly acquired hurler Andrew Kittredge should make for a solid replacement. Also, with Bautista's return in the near future, this bullpen will likely take a leap forward in 2025.

5. Blue Jays

Even with the recent signing of Phillies All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman, the Blue Jays definitely have one of the weakest bullpens in the league. After finishing dead last in the AL in reliever ERA, the Blue Jays non-tendered two time All-Star closer Jordan Romano and added returning right-hander Yimi Garcia and Jeff Hoffman.

Garcia played for the Blue Jays for three seasons from 2022 to the first half of 2024. He finished last season with Seattle, but it didn't end well as he produced a 6.00 ERA with the AL West organization. On top of all of this, multiple teams shied away from signing Hoffman due to some shaky results on his physical. This bullpen will live and die on their new slider-heavy hurler, so their fortunes might be forfeited if he can't remain healthy.