The Cleveland Guardians had MLB’s best bullpen in 2024.
The unit finished last year with the best bullpen ERA in the league at 2.57.
They were so dominant that the next best team, the Milwaukee Brewers, had a 3.11 mark, which is more than half a run worse than the Guards.
Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith led the unit with amazing performances that put them among the best relievers in the majors, but make no mistake: this is a very deep unit.
Besides those two, they enjoyed incredible contributions from Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, Pedro Avila, Erik Sabrowski, Eli Morgan (traded this off-season), Sam Hentges, Andrew Walters and others.
It’s precisely Walters, plus another young righty, the ones that will continue to feed this unit with talented, hard-throwing rookies.
“Clase came in at number 4. The team still has Gaddis, Herrin and two hard throwing talented rookies in Walters and Aleman. Crazy talented pen still in 2025,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Clase came in at number 4. The team still has Gaddis, Herrin and two hard throwing talented rookies in Walters and Aleman. Crazy talented pen still in 2025. https://t.co/n3RuhGJjrg
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) January 9, 2025
Walters pitched 8.2 innings at the major league level last year, in which he didn’t allow any runs.
Prior to his stint in MLB, he posted a 2.32 ERA in 50.1 frames between Double-A and Triple-A, with an incredible 79 strikeouts.
Aleman, protected in November from the Rule 5 by being added to the 40-man roster, had an amazing showing in Triple-A in 2024.
He delivered a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 frames with Columbus, with 34 punchouts to his name.
He might encounter some issues with walks here or there, but in the end, talent and strikeout stuff will almost always prevail.
In Walters and Aleman, the Guardians have two pitchers with the ability to be their 2025 version of what Smith was for the team in 2024.
NEXT: Guardians Avoid Arbitration With Star Left Fielder
