Which Team in the NL East Has the Best Closer for 2025?

Earlier this week, Ryan Finkelstein ranked each team in the NL East by their aces. It was a fun and effective way to preview the starting pitching in the division ahead of the 2025 campaign. Today, I’m going to do the same thing with each team’s closer.

The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets have high-paid studs leading their bullpens. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you their names.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies boast a smörgåsbord of talented relievers but no obvious closer. The Washington Nationals have an obvious closer, but their bullpen is less of a smörgåsbord and more of an empty cupboard.

Finally, the Miami Marlins have some talented arms to watch, but a lack of depth and proven options could have them struggling to maintain what few leads they get.

When all is said and done, it would not be surprising at all if the end-of-season standings look just like this ranking. Let’s dive in.

Ranking the Closers in the NL East

5. Miami Marlins – Calvin Faucher

2024 Stats

Unless you’re a dedicated Marlins fan, I can tell you that Calvin Faucher was way better than you remember in 2024. Following a pair of disappointing seasons with the Rays in 2022 and ‘23, the righty broke out in his first year in Miami.

Faucher pitched to a 3.19 ERA and 3.72 xERA over 53 games. His velocity was up, his strikeout rate was up, and most impressively, he didn’t allow a home run all season. His 1.3 fWAR put him among the top 30 relievers in MLB.

The righty took over as the primary closer for the Fish last summer after they flipped Tanner Scott at the deadline. He saved six games in eight chances before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in September. However, he seems to be back at full strength and ready to close.

Faucher doesn’t have the track record of any of the pitchers ranked ahead of him, but he isn’t just on this list because the Marlins don’t have a better option. This is a genuinely talented reliever I’m looking forward to watching in 2025.

Jesus Tinoco is another arm who struggled early in his career but settled in nicely with the Marlins last year. Meanwhile, Anthony Bender is the veteran of this ‘pen with 141 MLB games under his belt.

Lastly, I’d like to spotlight Declan Cronin and Andrew Nardi. I’ve written about both players in the past, and I believe that both are more talented than their career ERAs suggest.

All of these pitchers I’ve named would look great on the bottom half of any team’s bullpen depth chart. Unfortunately, these are Miami’s high-leverage relievers. I’m not expecting great things from this arm barn in 2025.

4. Washington Nationals – Kyle Finnegan

2024 Stats

Need proof that Kyle Finnegan doesn’t belong any higher on this list? The Nationals non-tendered him in November rather than pay his projected $8.6 million arbitration salary, only to re-sign him for $6 million later in the offseason.

All that to save $2.6 million bucks? You wouldn’t do that to a true star closer.

With that said, Finnegan has been a solid and dependable bullpen arm for the Nats over the past five years. Dating back to his rookie season, he ranks fourth among relievers in innings pitched and has never posted an ERA higher than 3.76.

Since he took over as Washington’s primary closer in the second half of 2022, his 76 saves are tied for third in MLB.

Behind Finnegan, the Nationals’ bullpen is not a strength. Jorge López is better than you think – he’s put up an ERA under 3.00 in two of the past three seasons – but there’s a reason this guy has pitched for five teams in the past two years.

Meanwhile, the veteran Derek Law is coming off the best season of his career; he pitched to a 2.60 ERA and 3.32 FIP in a mid-leverage long-relief role. NPB All-Star Shinnosuke Ogasawara is another multi-inning arm to watch.

Howver, there just isn’t anyone on this team – Finnegan included – I’d feel super comfortable bringing in with a big game on the line.

3. Philadelphia Phillies – Kerkering/Romano/Strahm/Alvarado

2024 Stats (Combined)

It’s hard to say who the Phillies’ closer will be, if they’ll even have one. But no matter who you pick among this team’s top four relievers, they’d rank third on this list.

Orion Kerking is the young stud with the best pure stuff. Jordan Romano has the most closing experience. Matt Strahm is a reigning All-Star. José Alvarado is the longest-tenured member of the ‘pen and has saved games for the Phillies in each of the past four seasons.

None of them belongs in the same category as Edwin Díaz or Raisel Iglesias. But these are four very talented relievers. All of them are capable of putting up a sub-3.00 ERA season in a high-leverage role.

If Strahm’s shoulder impingement keeps him out for an extended amount of time, the Phillies will miss him dearly. On the bright side, Tanner Banks is another soft-tossing lefty with a diverse pitch mix who could step up in his place.

The Phillies also have multiple arms they can count on for serviceable low-leverage innings, namely José Ruiz and Joe Ross. Those guys will help keep the rest of the bullpen well-rested for the biggest moments.

2. New York Mets – Edwin Díaz

2024 Stats

We could have easily put Edwin Díaz in first place on this list. Indeed, if it were just up to me, that’s exactly what I would have done.

The case for Díaz is one of upside. In the past decade, only eight relievers have finished with 3.0 or more fWAR in season. Díaz is two of them. His 2018 and 2022 seasons are two of the best relief performances in recent memory.

However, Díaz hasn’t always been the most consistent relief ace. His career 3.00 ERA, while excellent, only ranks 33rd among relievers (min. 200 IP) in the last ten years.

He also missed the entire 2023 season with injury, and didn’t look quite his best upon his return. I’m putting my money on a big bounce back from Díaz in 2025, but I’d understand if others aren’t quite so confident.

Indeed, I’m expecting better things from the Mets’ bullpen in general this season. A.J. Minter should be a strong addition, and I’m looking forward to seeing full seasons out of the ‘pen from José Butto and Reed Garrett.

I’m not convinced that New York’s bullpen is a true strength, but nor will it be a weakness. If the Mets make it to October, they have enough back-end talent to go all the way.

1. Atlanta Braves – Raisel Iglesias

2024 Stats

Raisel Iglesias has never had a season like Edwin Díaz’s 2018 or 2022. Yet, he has been consistently excellent since his move to the bullpen in 2016.

Over the past nine years, Iglesias has only posted an ERA higher than 2.75 once. He has been worth at least 1.0 fWAR in all but one of those seasons. What’s more, he has pitched at least 55 innings in every season except for 2020 – and he was on pace for 62.1 innings that year, too.

That consistency and durability should assuage concerns about Iglesias’s arm as he enters his age-35 season. So, too, should the fact that his 1.95 ERA and 2.24 xERA in 2024 were both career-best marks, and his average fastball velocity was the highest it’s been since 2021.

Iglesias is one of the most consistently dominant relievers in baseball, and he’s still at the top of his game.

It only helps that Iglesias is surrounded by a talented supporting crew in Atlanta. Braves relievers ranked third in MLB in ERA last season, second in FIP, and first in xFIP and SIERA.

Losing Joe Jiménez to knee surgery and A.J. Minter to the Mets are a couple of tough blows. Meanwhile, losing Grant Holmes to the rotation will sting the bullpen, even if it is for the team’s greater good.

However, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee, and Pierce Johnson will return to help Iglesias lock down the late innings. Hard-throwing sophomore Daysbel Hernández is an intriguing breakout candidate to watch after his strong performance in 2024 (2.50 ERA, 2.11 FIP in 18.0 IP).

Finally, don’t sleep on veteran NRI Héctor Neris. He’s coming off a mediocre season, but he has a career 3.33 ERA in over 600 innings, and he’s only one year removed from a 1.71 ERA campaign in Houston.