As we head into the trade deadline season, it seems every team is looking for bullpen help. The shift in philosophies from bullpen players being a luxury to a must-have has happened in the past decade, yet some bettors still overlook that crucial shift.
While the Yankees with Rivera, Nelson, and Stanton set the standard for shortening the game, the Rays took it a step further and almost eliminated the need for a dominant starter when they began to institute the opener. Teams have since become quite happy with 3 good starters and patching the back end of the rotation together and even the front line starters' standards have gone down to just get us through 5 or 6 innings and allow the bullpen to take it from there. But again, many sports bettors have looked past this trend.
When lines are set, it's almost always indicative of the starter versus starter and what those odds will show is the disparity in the two. Bullpens however are the slept-on commodity that smart bettors are starting to value even more than ever. Closers are at the forefront. You can go to a sportsbook any day of the week during the baseball season and you'll hear people talking about the starters and closers, but rarely do they mention the bridge to get between the two. So, let's take a look at the best bullpens in baseball.
At the top of the list, you'll see familiar teams who have successfully bridged that gap. The Indians have the best bullpen in baseball this year, and that is in line with their first-place run. Clase is one of the best closers in the game, but Gaddis, Barlow and a slew of others have been filthy in the back end. Bettors rarely have to worry about the pen blowing leads in Cleveland. The same goes for the Braves. While Atlanta has had some struggles this season, Iglesias, Jimenez and Minter have been able to put up the second-best bullpen in baseball, that includes a deep pen besides the names I even mentioned. The Brewers, Cardinals and Dodgers all have had great seasons as well, with the Brewers getting even stronger soon with the return of Devin Williams.
The flip side to this would be the teams where you might want to take first 5 inning plays, because you simply can't trust the pens to hold a lead for you. It should come as no surprise that the Rockies are the worst team in baseball when they make the call to the pen, but the Blue Jays, White Sox, Angels and Rays are all in the next grouping. The defending champ Rangers are not far behind that pack either and they have been favorites for more games than they should have this season. That's a team to watch in a live betting situation.
The trade deadline will certainly transform teams bullpens and while the starters will get the headlines, make sure to pay attention to who can hold your lead and not make you watch that slip away late, or for the glass half-filled bettor, bank on live betting when you know a bad bullpen will be entering the game.