In years past, it was often starting pitching that got the most attention at the trade deadline. Whether aces, workhorses or innings-eaters, starters were the focus as teams prepared for the stretch run with hope of securing a spot in the postseason.
But it’s a new day in baseball. And if the 2025 MLB trade deadline showed us anything, it’s that in today’s game, a strong bullpen might be just as important as starting pitching — and maybe even more important, for some teams. Almost any team looking to reach the postseason is going to want to improve their bullpen. And this year, there was a clear arms race — pun intended — among baseball’s elite.
At the 2024 trade deadline, the San Diego Padres attempted something other teams hadn’t tried before. Sure, teams had added closers and high-leverage arms, but in a division with the Dodgers, the thinking in San Diego seemed to go, the Padres needed more than that. So San Diego acquired multiple potential closers in Robert Suarez, Tanner Scott and Jason Adam, putting together a three-headed bullpen monster that proved to be highly effective in both the regular season and the postseason.
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With another trade deadline in the books, it’s clear that the strategy employed by president AJ Preller and the 2024 Padres was noticed by other teams around baseball — as was the success the Padres enjoyed with their electric high-leverage arms. At this year’s deadline, the high-leverage arms were the stars of the show.
The Philadelphia Phillies have needed consistency in the ninth inning for years. Whether it was Ian Kennedy, post-prime Craig Kimbrel or even Carlos Estevez last season, they haven’t had a top-tier answer in the bullpen to match their starting pitching and their offense. On Wednesday, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski addressed his team’s longtime need in a big way, acquiring closer Jhoan Duran from the Twins to give Philly a much-needed weapon late in games.
The New York Mets took a similar approach, trading for closer Ryan Helsley from the Cardinals, side-armer Tyler Rogers from the Giants and left-hander Gregory Soto from the Orioles. Those three arms, combined with closer Edwin Diaz and a quality assortment of relievers such as Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett, give the Mets one of the strongest bullpens, top to bottom, in baseball.
On the other side of town, Brian Cashman and the Yankees weren’t going to be left out. The Yankees have leaned heavily this season on their high-leverage arms, including Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Mark Leiter Jr. and Fernando Cruz. And with the deadline additions of right-handers David Bednar, Jake Bird and Camilo Doval, New York’s bullpen has plenty of closing experience, options and depth. The Yanks now have a bullpen that, on paper, is the best in the American League and can take some pressure off the starters.
To a lesser degree but not to be forgotten, the Cubs, Tigers and Blue Jays all added pieces to their relief corps as well.
And it wouldn’t be the trade deadline without Preller making his presence felt. The Padres’ president made arguably the biggest move of the month on Thursday, acquiring fireballer Mason Miller from the A’s in a package that included MLB’s No. 3 prospect, Leo De Vries.
The big swing can be interpreted as Preller doubling down; San Diego figured out something that worked with their bullpen strategy last season. Granted, the Padres lost to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS, but their bullpen is one of the main reasons they were on the precipice of upending the eventual World Series champs in October.
This time around, adding maybe the most electric closer in baseball in Miller to a bullpen that includes Suárez, Adam, Jeremiah Estrada and first-time All-Star Adrian Morejon gives the Padres an even better version of last year’s bullpen. San Diego, just three games back of the Dodgers as August begins, has some serious firepower to deploy in its attempt to chase down L.A.
Leading up to Thursday’s deadline, the reliever market had been aggressive for weeks and as competitive as any we’ve seen in some time. It wasn’t just that many of the best teams in baseball were looking to acquire bullpen arms; also upping the price was that some of the top relievers available, including Duran, Miller and Griffin Jax, who was traded to the Rays, have years of club control remaining. Prior to Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase being placed on administrative leave on Monday, it appeared that he was also on that list, with several teams showing interest in him.
Taken as a whole, the way the 2025 trade deadline played out highlights the increased importance of difference-makers in the bullpen today and is a sign of the times in baseball. Postseason games are now often decided by relievers even more than starters, and this week’s moves to acquire electric relievers, combined with the lack of trades on the starting pitching market, emphasize that.
And now that the powerhouses in baseball have reinforced their bullpens, the race to October and the World Series, which looks wide-open, begins in earnest.
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