The Top 10 Remaining Free Agent Relievers

Most of this year's top free agent relievers are off the board, but your favorite team still has time to add one of these unsigned arms.

Free agent reliever David Robertson (then of the Texas Rangers) and Jonah Heim the third out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: David Robertson #37 and Jonah Heim #28 of the Texas Rangers after the third out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

What a difference a month can make! Just after Christmas, I wrote about how slow the free agent market had been for high-leverage relievers. As I sit writing this today, almost all of the top bullpen arms are off the board.

Tanner Scott is a Dodger. Kirby Yates is a Dodger. Jeff Hoffman is a Blue Jay. Carlos Estévez is a Royal. Other names who have signed in recent weeks include Chris Martin, José Leclerc, A.J. Minter, Paul Sewald, Andrew Kittredge, and Tommy Kahnle.

Of this year’s top 10 free agent relievers by 2024 FanGraphs WAR, only two remain without a team. Meanwhile, according to Steamer, there is only one reliever left on the market projected to surpass 0.5 fWAR in 2025.

Even so, there are still many unsigned relievers who could contribute meaningful innings to a big league bullpen this coming season. Here are my picks for the top 10 bullpen arms remaining in free agency.

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Honorable Mentions

PitcherGIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAWAR
Jalen Beeks7170.0109.0%4.503.800.6
Dylan Floro6668.2011.1%3.803.940.6
Buck Farmer6171.0113.7%3.044.140.6
Tim Hill6267.004.1%3.363.560.5
Phil Maton7164.0313.6%3.664.310.1
Héctor Neris6259.11813.8%4.104.310.0
Joe Kelly3532.0013.3%4.785.110.0
Lou TrivinoDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNP
Ryan Yarbrough4498.218.3%3.194.20-0.1
2024 stats via FanGraphs

10. Luis García, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
6059.0415.0%4.883.560.3
2024 stats via FanGraphs

I really wasn’t expecting to rank Luis García when I started working on this piece. I can’t stress that enough. Yet, the 38-year-old has been surprisingly effective over the past several years – despite what his ERA last season would have you believe.

From 2021-24, he pitched 213 innings with a 3.97 ERA and 2.7 fWAR. And while his 4.88 ERA in 2024 was bad, his 3.56 xERA ranked in the 69th percentile.

Even in his late thirties, García boasts a hard sinker (96.4 mph) that helps him induce plenty of groundballs. Last year, he paired the sinker with a nasty slider against righties and an effective splitter against lefties, helping him minimize his platoon splits.

García also impressed with a career-best 5.9% walk rate in 2024, thanks in large part to an incredible 33.1% chase rate. He may not have closer upside, but there’s a lot to like about this veteran arm.

9. Craig Kimbrel, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
5752.12318.1%5.334.310.1
2024 stats via FanGraphs

I could have left Craig Kimbrel off this list entirely. He pitched so poorly last season that the Orioles cut him in September.

At the same time, how could I not include Kimbrel on this list? He’s one of the greatest relievers of his generation, and he’s only one year removed from an All-Star season with the Phillies.

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Indeed, he pitched to a 3.49 ERA with 2.0 fWAR in 129 innings from 2022-23. There’s no doubt his numbers and stuff took a dip in 2024, but his underlying metrics were much more promising than his mid-5.00s ERA. Most notably, he ranked among the top 10 AL relievers (min. 50 IP) in strikeout rate.

Entering his age-37 season, Kimbrel could be ready to wrap it up and call it a career. Then again, he has struggled before, only to bounce back big. Eventually, a team is going to give him a chance, and it could prove to be the smartest decision they make all winter.

8. Andrew Chafin, LHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
6256.1115.9%3.513.640.4
2024 stats via FanGraphs

Aside from the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Andrew Chafin has pitched at least 60 games every year since 2017. Only once in that span was his ERA or FIP higher than 4.00.

That one rough season was 2023, when Chafin pitched to a 4.73 ERA and 4.01 FIP in 63 games. Yet, he sandwiched that difficult year between two strong ones. In 2022 and ’24, he threw a combined 113.2 innings with a 3.17 ERA and 3.30 FIP.

Chafin might not have Danny Coulombe’s upside, but the fact that he’s the only proven and reliable southpaw left on the market helped him crack this list.

7. Kyle Finnegan, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
6563.23813.3%3.684.340.0
2024 stats via FanGraphs

The Nationals didn’t non-tender Kyle Finnegan because he’s a bad pitcher. Rather, they just didn’t think he was worth his projected $8.6 million arbitration salary for 2025.

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Only three relievers have thrown more innings than Finnegan over the last five seasons, and his 3.56 ERA in that time is nothing to sniff at. His 88 saves tell you more about the state of the Nationals than they do about the man himself – he wouldn’t have been the closer on most other clubs – but you can’t save that many games without real talent.

Any teams looking for a reliable, middle-inning reliever to give them 60ish innings with a mid-3.00s ERA should give Finnegan a call.

6. Scott Barlow, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
6355.0215.4%4.254.170.0
2024 stats via FanGraphs

Scott Barlow is another durable veteran, but he offers more upside than some of the free agent relievers below him on this list.

While he struggled enough in 2024 to be released by the Guardians in September, Barlow is only one year removed from a strong 2023 campaign. Indeed, from 2021-23, he pitched 216.2 innings (third among all relievers) with a 2.95 ERA and 4.1 fWAR. The only pitcher on this list with a higher fWAR in that time was Craig Kimbrel.

The fact that even the Guardians couldn’t get the best out of Barlow is certainly concerning.

Then again, the fact that he was cut before the playoffs tells you more about Cleveland’s ridiculously deep bullpen than Barlow’s performance. After all, his ERA and xERA were only slightly worse than league average, while his FIP, xFIP, and SIERA were all better than that of the average pitcher.

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5. Adam Ottavino, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
6056.0119.2%4.343.190.5
2024 stats via FanGraphs

Adam Ottavino might be entering his age-39 season, but he’s not exactly fragile. The veteran has not spent any time on the IL since 2018, and he’s qualified for relief stat leaderboards in each of the past eight seasons. Indeed, dating back to 2017, only one pitcher – Andrew Chafin – has thrown more games.

While Ottavino’s 4.34 ERA last season was mediocre, his 3.19 xERA ranked in the 84th percentile. His 3.27 SIERA was similarly impressive. He is also only two years removed from a dominant 2022 campaign, in which he posted a 2.06 ERA and 1.1 fWAR in 66 games.

While his sinker velocity has declined in recent years, Ottavino compensates with elite extension. It also helps when he uses his excellent sweeper as his primary pitch. His deep arsenal and continual willingness to adjust give me faith that Ottavino can remain effective in his late thirties.

4. Danny Coulombe, LHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
3329.2125.2%2.122.910.5
2024 stats via FanGraphs

Danny Coulombe stands out on this list as one of the rare upside picks. Most of the pitchers featured in this article are proven, durable veterans. Coulombe, on the other hand, has never thrown more than 52 innings in a season, and he has only topped the 40-inning threshold thrice.

Yet, the 35-year-old southpaw has been electric when he’s taken the mound the last three years. In 93.1 innings from 2022-24, he has a 2.41 ERA and 2.96 FIP. He threw more than half of those innings in 2023, and he finished that season with more fWAR than any other unsigned reliever.

We’re talking about a pitcher who comes with serious injury risk, and his limited track record is a real concern as well. Yet, if Coulombe stays healthy in 2025, he has the potential to be the most dominant arm featured in this article.

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3. Jakob Junis, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
2467.0117.0%2.693.800.9
2024 stats via FanGraphs

The primary selling point of Jakob Junis is his ability to pitch multiple innings. He can also start as needed. Over the past two years, he has pitched 153 innings in 64 games. That alone is valuable.

Even better, however, Junis offers quality in addition to quantity. He has a 3.35 ERA and 3.72 FIP in those 153 frames.

In 2023, Junis reached a new career-high in K-rate, striking out more than 26% of the batters he faced. That number fell back down in 2024, but the righty made up for it with a career-best 3.2% walk rate.

If Junis can figure out a way to maximize his strikeouts and minimize his walks at the same time, his ceiling is high. If not, he’s still a talented multi-inning arm with a skill set almost any team could use.

2. Kenley Jansen, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
5454.22719.3%3.293.241.4
2024 stats via FanGraphs

The top two remaining free agent relievers are in a completely different tier from everyone else. Kenley Jansen is no longer the stud he was in his prime, but he can still close games for a contending team.

The righty has produced at least 1.1 fWAR in each of the past four seasons, pitching to a 3.06 ERA in 239 games. His signature cutter remains an elite pitch, and he uses it to generate a high strikeout rate and plenty of weakly-hit fly balls.

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Jansen’s velocity was down last year compared to where it was in 2023, but it was in the same range it was in from 2019-22. In other words, while the 37-year-old is showing some slight signs of aging, he hasn’t given us any reason to worry about a significant decline. Besides, if any reliever has earned our unwavering faith, it’s Kenley Jansen.

1. David Robertson, RHP

GIPSVK-BB%ERAxERAfWAR
6872.0224.3%3.003.191.9
2024 stats via FanGraphs

Kenley Jansen might be the bigger star, but there’s no doubt David Robertson has been the more valuable pitcher over the past two seasons.

From 2023-24, Robertson ranked sixth among all relievers in fWAR thanks to his 3.08 FIP in 137.1 innings of largely high-leverage work. While he doesn’t necessarily have Jansen’s reputation as a dominant closer, he has plenty of experience pitching the ninth, with 177 career saves to his name.

As his 40th birthday approaches, Robertson carries a good bit of risk. In the past 15 years, only three relievers in their forties have thrown at least 60 innings in a season with a positive fWAR: Fernando Rodney, LaTroy Hawkins, and Mariano Rivera (three times).

Then again, Robertson set a new career high in innings last season, and he’s been one of the most durable relievers in the sport since the days when he was a set-up man to a 40-year-old Rivera. Aside from his age, there’s no reason not to trust him in 2025.