Ranking All 30 Pitching Staffs for MLB's 2023 Season

Thursday, we ranked every MLB team's offense going into the 2023 season. Now it's time to turn our attention to the mound.

The 2022-23 offseason saw top-tier aces Justin Verlander (NYM) and Jacob deGrom (TEX) change teams in free agency, and that was just two moves from a long list of transactions that shifted the MLB pitching landscape.

So who has the game's best pitching staff?

We've ranked all 30 teams based on their projected starting rotation and bullpen, as well as the depth they have beyond their Opening Day roster.

Teams rarely get through a season without having to tap into their depth, especially in the starting rotation, so having a good sixth, seventh and eighth guy can go a long way over 162 games.

30. Washington Nationals

Patrick Corbin finished 6-19 with a 6.31 ERA and minus-2.4 WAR last season, and he was the 2023 Opening Day starter for the Nationals. That should tell you all you need to know about the state of the pitching staff. Young starters MacKenzie Gore and Josiah Gray have considerable upside, and reliever Kyle Finnegan could be a hot commodity at the trade deadline, but this staff fits the mold of a team in the early stages of rebuilding.

29. Oakland Athletics

Starter Cole Irvin and reliever A.J. Puk became the latest casualties of the Athletics' perpetual rebuilding strategy during the offseason, and in the process, arguably the two best pitchers on the roster last year are gone. Young lefties Kyle Muller and Ken Waldichuk have potential, and Paul Blackburn was an All-Star in 2022, but this staff is heavily reliant on unproven arms.

28. Colorado Rockies

Germán Márquez and Kyle Freeland are quality starters, and Daniel Bard emerged as one of the best closers in baseball last year, but the talent drop-off is steep after that trio of arms. Pierce Johnson, Brad Hand, Connor Seabold and Brent Suter were added to the bullpen during the offseason as the perennial battle to build a viable relief corps continues.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates added Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez in free agency to help take some pressure off the promising young duo of Roansy Contreras and Mitch Keller in the starting rotation. All-Star closer David Bednar is back to anchor the bullpen, but this staff will need several unexpected contributors to emerge in order to climb any higher in these rankings.

26. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers brought back Matthew Boyd on a one-year, $10 million deal during the offseason, and he'll join Eduardo Rodriguez and Spencer Turnbull in leading a rotation that will be without Tarik Skubal (flexor tendon surgery) and Casey Mize (Tommy John surgery) to start the year. Trading Gregory Soto and Joe Jiménez has weakened a relief corps that ranked eighth in the majors with a 3.43 ERA last season.

25. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox ranked 22nd in the majors in starters ERA last season, and the rotation has arguably gotten worse with Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill all departing and Corey Kluber as the only newcomer. They are putting a lot of eggs in the Chris Sale basket, and he has pitched a grand total of 48.1 innings since the start of 2020. The bullpen added 35-year-old Kenley Jansen and 36-year-old Chris Martin to provide some stability,

24. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles replaced Jordan Lyles with Kyle Gibson and added controllable left-hander Cole Irvin to the rotation, but they are still lacking a bona fide ace. John Means will be a year removed from Tommy John surgery at the end of April and should return at some point before the All-Star break, but up-and-comers Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez will need to step up for this to even be an average rotation.

23. Kansas City Royals

With Zack Greinke re-signed to another one-year deal and veterans Jordan Lyles and Ryan Yarbrough added in free agency, the Royals have a deeper collection of arms this year, but it's essentially a collection of back-end starters outside rising ace Brady Singer. Right-hander Scott Barlow is one of the best relievers in baseball at the back of the bullpen.

22. Cincinnati Reds

Eno Sarris of The Athletic recently called Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft the "best young big three in 15 years" in a bold predictions article. That trio and standout reliever Alexis Díaz is a good core to build around, but at this point the rest of their arms are essentially replacement-level pitchers.

21. St. Louis Cardinals

The range of outcomes for the Cardinals pitching staff is extremely wide. Adam Wainwright, 41, needs to continue to ward off Father Time, and both Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz need to stay healthy after pitching a combined 84 innings last year in order for the front office to avoid having to scramble at the deadline once again. The one-two punch of Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley at the back of the bullpen is a strength.

20. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs signed Jameson Taillon to a four-year, $68 million deal, and he will join Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, Justin Steele and rookie Hayden Wesneski in a rotation with the potential to be solid top-to-bottom. The new-look bullpen will be anchored by free-agent signings Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger, who start the season in a co-closer situation.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly stacked up to any one-two punch in baseball last season, and the D-backs have some intriguing up-and-coming young starters, including Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson and Brandon Pfaadt. They would rank higher on their starting rotation alone, but the bullpen looks like one of the worst in baseball on paper.

18. San Francisco Giants

The Giants lost ace Carlos Rodón in free agency and replaced him with Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea. Those two veterans will join Logan Webb, Alex Cobb and Alex Wood in a rotation that has a high floor if everyone can stay healthy. Former All-Star closer Taylor Rogers will look to get his career back on track pitching alongside his brother, Tyler. Don't sleep on the possibility of top prospect Kyle Harrison making a major impact in 2023.

17. Minnesota Twins

With Tyler Mahle acquired at the deadline last year, Pablo López acquired during the offseason and Kenta Maeda returning from injury, the rotation has quietly become a strength in Minnesota as that trio joins Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan. The bullpen has two top-tier relievers in Jhoan Duran and Jorge López, and improvement in the late innings would go a long way after they converted just 28 of 55 save chances in 2022.

16. Miami Marlins

Another team that would rank higher if bullpens were not included in this conversation, the Marlins have NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara leading a rotation that also includes promising young starters Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers and veteran Johnny Cueto. The addition of A.J. Puk should pay dividends, but does it move the needle enough on a bullpen unit that led the NL with 31 blown saves?

15. Chicago White Sox

With a healthy season from Lance Lynn and bounce-back performances from Lucas Giolito and newcomer Mike Clevinger, the White Sox could have one of the better rotations in the American League, but those are far from certain to happen. Closer Liam Hendriks will be missed at the back of the bullpen as he is sidelined with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

14. Texas Rangers

The Rangers spent a combined $263.65 million to bring back Martín Pérez on a qualifying offer and add Jacob deGrom, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi in free agency. That foursome joins Jon Gray in what could be the best rotation in Rangers history, but there's not much competition for that title. José Leclerc and Jonathan Hernández are the X-factors in the bullpen.

13. Los Angeles Angels

With 2022 All-Star Tyler Anderson joining ace Shohei Ohtani and young left-handers Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and José Suarez, the Angels have the makings of a quality rotation. The bigger question mark is the bullpen, where newcomers Carlos Estévez and Matt Moore will join Jimmy Herget and Ryan Tepera in what appears to be a closer-by-committee situation.

12. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies would be comfortably inside the top 10 if Ranger Suárez (forearm tightness) and Andrew Painter (UCL sprain) were not both dealing with troubling arm issues. That said, they still have Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler fronting the rotation, Taijuan Walker adds quality depth, and the bullpen is vastly improved with Yunior Marte, Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto joining incumbents Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado.

11. Cleveland Guardians

Losing Triston McKenzie (back strain) for at least two months is a major blow for the Guardians, though they still have Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale in the rotation and an electric back end of the bullpen led by Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan. Hunter Gaddis will get the first crack at filling the vacant rotation spot, while top prospects Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen could all see the majors at some point in 2023.

10. New York Yankees

Once the Yankees are fully healthy, they potentially have one of the better rotations in baseball, but it's not a promising sign that the oft-injured duo of Carlos Rodón (strained forearm) and Luis Severino (strained lat) are already watching from the sidelines. Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga and Michael King will again anchor a bullpen that ranked third in the majors with a 2.97 ERA last year.

9. Los Angeles Dodgers

With Walker Buehler recovering from Tommy John surgery and Tony Gonsolin nursing an ankle injury, prospect Michael Grove gets a chance to break camp with a rotation spot behind Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Noah Syndergaard. Fellow top prospects Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot and Landon Knack are waiting in the wings at Triple-A. Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol, Caleb Ferguson and Yency Almonte lead a relief corps lacking in star power but capable of being a strength.

8. San Diego Padres

The Padres are rolling the dice on Nick Martinez, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha at the back of the rotation, but the trio of Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell are all capable of ace-caliber production. A full season of Josh Hader at the back of the bullpen should help shorten games, though setup man Robert Suárez (arm stiffness) starts the year on the injured list.

7. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are banking on bounce-back seasons from José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi to solidify the starting staff, but they also hedged their bets by signing Chris Bassitt to join Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman at the top of the rotation. With a full season of Anthony Bass and newcomer Erik Swanson alongside Jordan Romano and Yimi Garcia, the bullpen should be significantly improved.

6. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are relying heavily on three pitchers coming off breakout seasons—Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen—along with free-agent signing Zach Eflin who replaces Corey Kluber in the rotation. At this point, anything they get from Tyler Glasnow has to be considered a bonus. Yet this team finds a way year-in and year-out to field one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, so it's tough to bet against the Rays doing it again.

Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are the two highest-paid players in baseball in 2023 with matching $43.3 million salaries, and the New York Mets have hung their World Series hopes on the right arms of those two future Hall of Famers.

That already looks like a risky proposition with Verlander opening the season on the injured list with a shoulder strain, though he is expected to continue throwing at "moderate intensity" before getting rescanned next week.

Rookie Kodai Senga is the X-factor on the staff after years as a front-line pitcher in Japan, while Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and eventually José Quintana, who is sidelined until midseason with a stress fracture in his rib, round out the starting rotation options.

The bullpen was dealt a major blow when closer Edwin Díaz suffered a torn patellar tendon during the World Baseball Classic, but it still has David Robertson and Adam Ottavino as experienced late-inning options.

It will be interesting to see whether Verlander and Senga outperform former Mets Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt in 2023.

The Milwaukee Brewers still have a rotation 1-2-3 that stacks up to any in baseball with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta.

They are followed by steady veterans Eric Lauer, Wade Miley and Adrian Houser as back-end options, while left-hander Aaron Ashby is an X-factor who can fill a variety of roles once he returns from shoulder inflammation.

All-Star closer Josh Hader is gone, but they still have one of baseball's best relievers in Devin Williams in the ninth-inning role. Hard-throwing deadline pickup Matt Bush will bridge the gap as the team's primary setup man, while Peter Strzelecki and Hoby Milner also return after quietly effective 2022 campaigns.

With Burnes and Woodruff both headed for free agency after the 2024 season, the window is closing on this group.

With a full season of Luis Castillo at the top of the rotation and further development from young starters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, the Seattle Mariners could challenge for the No. 1 spot in these rankings.

Robbie Ray and Marco Gonzales round out the rotation, while Chris Flexen is an experienced depth option and up-and-comers Taylor Dollard, Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock are all waiting for their chance in the upper levels of the minors.

Paul Sewald and Andrés Muñoz lead a bullpen that ranked sixth in the majors with a 3.33 ERA, and they will continue to be the primary late-inning options, though manager Scott Servais operates without a set closer.

Keep an eye on starter-turned-reliever Matt Brash as a potential breakout candidate. He has one of the best sliders in baseball and the swing-and-miss stuff to fill the role that Erik Swanson thrived in a year ago.

Max Fried finished runner-up in NL Cy Young voting last season, Charlie Morton and rookie Spencer Strider were the only pair of teammates to record 200 strikeouts, and Kyle Wright finally delivered on his first-round pedigree with a breakout season.

That group returns intact to lead a starting rotation that is one of baseball's best, and the team is loaded with depth options behind those guys as top prospect Jared Shuster earned a spot on the Opening Day roster and Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder and eventually Mike Soroka are waiting in the wings.

The bullpen will be without closer Raisel Iglesias to start the year as he deals with a shoulder strain, but they still have a wealth of quality bullpen arms, including A.J. Minter, Joe Jiménez, Collin McHugh and Dylan Lee.

Fully healthy seasons from Kirby Yates and Nick Anderson could take this bullpen to another level.

Even with AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander departing in free agency and Lance McCullers Jr. on the shelf with an elbow issue, the Houston Astros still have baseball's best pitching staff.

Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier proved just how dominant they can be last October on the heels of terrific regular-season performances, José Urquidy and Luis Garcia are quality middle-of-the-rotation options, and flame-thrower Hunter Brown is one of the most promising young starters in the game.

Meanwhile, a bullpen that led the majors with a 2.80 ERA returns intact after Rafael Montero re-upped on a three-year, $34.5 million deal, and he slots alongside Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek and Héctor Neris to form a truly overpowering collection of late-inning relievers.

The Astros have a terrific offense, but pitching will be the key to them repeating as World Series champions.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.