Top 5 relief pitchers who will be free agents ahead of the 2025 MLB season ft. Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, and more

Since the MLB's inception in 1903, the league has seen its fair share of major changes. From pitch clocks, stadium dimensions, and most recently—pitching rotations, the league has continued to evolve to its present form today.

The art and science of pitching rotation have drastically changed over the past 15 years. Starting pitchers are now being utilized less and relief pitchers have become the commodity.

Ahead of the 2025 MLB season, let's take a look at the best relievers in the majors and who might get picked up in the offseason.

5) Clay Holmes - New York Yankees

Before being replaced by Luke Weaver as the Yankees' closer, Clay Holmes was wheeling and dealing that led to him being selected to his second All-Star team. However, the two-time All-Star has struggled in a different role.

Ahead of 2025, Holmes is an unrestricted free agent. If New York elects to not bring him back, he will carry a sub-3.00 ERA he tallied in the past three years to a team in dire need of a decent closer.

4) David Robertson - Texas Rangers

Another former Yankee makes the list as 2009 World Champion David Robertson will be 40 in 2025. A reliable arm in the pen, the former All-Star pitched more innings in 2024 than each of the two previous seasons.

With his veteran presence and leadership, a team that fancies a World Series run next season might just be the right fit for him.

3) Carlos Estevez - Philadelphia Phillies

Estevez has endeared himself to the Philly faithful after a half season he spent with the team. The Dominican hurler arrived at the trade deadline this season from the Angels and asserted his dominance.

He finished the campaign with the Phillies with a 3-2 record, a 2.57 ERA, and 18 strikeouts across 21 innings. Estevez should be one of the most sought after bullpen arms in the MLB in winter.

2) Blake Treinen - Los Angeles Dodgers

Blake Treinen has continued to show class in his long stint with the Dodgers. Treinen was once a dominant closer with the Oakland A's that merited him an All-Star selection in 2018 as he finished with 38 saves. Since his transfer to Los Angeles, however, he has been utilized in different sections of the bullpen.

Though the Dodgers has seen its fair share of names that has come and gone in the bullpen, Treinen has remained steadfast and has finished the 2024 regular season with a 7-3 record and a 1.93 ERA. If the Dodgers change their mind and move on from Treinen, he's bound to earn a hefty payday from any other MLB team that chooses to sign him.

1) Tanner Scott - San Diego Padres

San Diego Padre Tanner Scott was one of the most resounding name atthe 2024 trade deadline in terms of bullpen arms. The southpaw started the year in Miami and was so dominant with a 1.18 ERA, it led him to an All-Star selection.

At the MLB's trade deadline, Scott was traded to the Padres. He had four saves in six appearances during the back half of the regular season and was a steady arm in the postseason. Scott pitched solidly in five games and had seven strikeouts without giving up a run.

It will be interesting to see which team lands an elite talent like Tanner Scott in the pen ahead of 2025.

MLB pitching trends towards relievers

In the 2024 season, the MLB recorded just 26 complete games. For context, Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry completed 29 games in back-to-back seasons in '72-'73 alone.

A good example of the trend towards the relievers are the Detroit Tigers. Apart from their ace Tarik Skubal, the team has shelled out a committee of pitchers for them to complete the games.

From a business perspective, this might look like a waste of arm talent but is actually very economical. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are each being paid $43.33 million a year. In comparison, the most expensive annual contract for a reliever is $20.4 million for Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz.

With sabermetrics and analytics being a dominant part of today's MLB, it might not be long until we see more emphasis on relief pitching moving forward.