Best Ever?! Former MLB GM Makes Bold Claim About Guardians Bullpen

Jim Bowden says that Cleveland Guardians have the "greatest bullpen I’ve ever seen."

Aug 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians' key to success is no secret to anyone. The offense has been shaky, the starting rotation is top-heavy, and the team has had its tough patches overall. However, the bullpen has been dominant since Opening Day.

No one can argue that this group of relievers is the best in baseball, but former MLB general manager and current baseball analyst Jim Bowden took that one step further with this bold claim he made on Sunday morning.

"What makes the Guardians so special is most of this team is homegrown, and that’s really hard to do these days, and that’s the truth of this team. This is the greatest bullpen I’ve ever seen ... in my entire lifetime. I’m not a young chicken anymore, and I was a GM for 16 years; I’ve never seen a bullpen this dominant," said Bowden.

The Guardians ace up their sleeve is actually in their bullpen. #ForTheLand | @CleGuardians
🔗 https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/Y0n8CuND6v

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) September 22, 2024

Bowden then went on to explain how the bullpen has helped the Guardians get to this point and how they'll play a key factor in their postseason success.

"They lead after five [innings], they win, you lose, you go home. They’re gonna be a threat in the postseason. Now they’re starting pitching isn't great, okay. They’re starting pitching is 24th out of the 30 teams. They win with the bullpen, and they’re gonna have to have to a quick hook. Stephen Vogt is going to have to have a quick hook here to get to that 'pen. But I’m telling you if they're tied or within a run when they get to the bullpen in the sixth inning, they’re gonna scare teams because that’s how good this bullpen is ... because of Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herring, Cade Smith, and Emmanuel Clase"

Jul 28, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis (33) reacts after ending the during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

There's no way to dispute any of Bowden's points here.

Heading into Sunday's action, the Guardians had the best reliever ERA (2.61) and WHIP (1.05) in baseball. They also have a 69-2 record when leading after six innings, a 75-2 record when leading after seven innings, and a perfect 80-0 record when leading after eight innings.

Now, the only question remaining is how far can the greatest bullpen ever carry Cleveland in October?