The Detroit Tigers don’t need to look far to find the biggest offseason problem sitting in front of them.
After finishing 76-86 and missing the playoffs in 2026, Detroit has a roster that still carries some real hope. Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark give the organization young talent to dream on, Riley Greene is only 26, and Troy Melton is emerging as a promising pitcher. But if the Tigers want to push toward contention next season, the fix starts in one place: the bullpen.
That group let Detroit down over and over. The Tigers blew 32 saves, second-most in baseball, and too many games that should have been finished cleanly slipped away. The offense and starting rotation did enough to put the team in position, but the relief corps repeatedly turned those chances into frustration.
Detroit thought it had solved the late-inning picture with Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and Will Vest. Instead, that trio became a major source of regret for A.J.
Hinch. Jansen blew six saves and, even though he settled in some late, never became the shutdown closer the Tigers were counting on.
Finnegan’s season went in the wrong direction, too. He finished with career highs in ERA at 4.30, WHIP at 1.66, and opposing batting average at .289. The walks piled up, and his year became a clear step back.
For baseball operations president Scott Harris, the message is obvious: the bullpen has to change in some way. It’s still unclear whether Detroit will try to remake the entire group, but the need for fresh arms is impossible to ignore.
If the Tigers are willing to spend for a proven closer, Raisel Iglesias stands out as the biggest name available. The unrestricted free agent converted 34 of 37 save chances and would come with a strong market, but he also could solve Detroit’s most glaring issue on his own.
There are other options, too. Adrian Morejon, Gregory Soto, A.J.
Minter, and several other relievers are also unrestricted free agents, giving the Tigers a real chance to add needed depth and quality. The question is whether Harris can land the right fits and bring them to Detroit.
That need only looks sharper when compared with the teams still playing. Three of the four postseason teams rank in the top 10 in bullpen ERA, per Inside the Pen. The Tampa Bay Rays are the lone exception, though they still have an elite closer in Bryan Baker.
For Detroit, the takeaway is simple. The bullpen was unacceptable, and if the Tigers truly see themselves as a playoff team next year, they have to treat that as the priority. If Harris can’t bring in high-end relief help, another long season could be waiting.
In Other News...
Tigers Fans Just Got Another Reminder Why Zyhir Hope Matters
Zyhir Hope keeps giving Tigers fans a reason to track the Arizona Fall League, and his start with the Scottsdale Scorpions has been about more than just getting extra reps. Detroits top prospect arrived in the league with plenty of attention already attached, and early returns have only added to the intrigue as he continues to show why his bat is such a central part of the organizations long-term picture.
Hope picked up his first AFL home run on Oct. 12, and it came as part of a productive opening stretch that has him sitting at five RBIs with an .873 OPS through five games. For a farm system always under the microscope, those are the kinds of markers that keep his name near the top of the conversation, even as other Tigers prospects in Arizona continue working through their own fall-league auditions. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Face One Sneaky Option Call That Could Reshape The Staff
The Tigers have a pair of club options on the table this winter, and both carry the kind of price tag that can force a front office to think twice. Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson each come attached to a $10 million salary option, giving Detroit a couple of immediate decisions as it starts sorting out a pitching staff that is expected to look different by the time next season opens.
Andersons case is the more complicated one on paper, since he filled multiple roles and flashed enough to make a return plausible even with the salary jump. Jansen, meanwhile, presents the harder bullpen call because the money is substantial and the fit is not nearly as straightforward, all while the Tigers are still expected to keep pursuing rotation and relief upgrades no matter how those option decisions land. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin McGonigle's Award Chase Could Mean Even More For Tigers
Kevin McGonigles rise has already given the Tigers something to build around, and the club made sure of that by locking him up with an eight-year, $150 million extension after his Major League debut. That timing mattered for more than just keeping a young player in Detroit for the long haul. It also preserved the teams eligibility for a draft-incentive pick, giving the Tigers another possible way to keep adding talent to the pipeline.
Now the attention shifts to the American League Rookie of the Year race, with the award set to be announced Nov. 9. If McGonigle comes away with the honor, Detroit would add an extra selection after the first round of the 2027 MLB draft, a small but meaningful bonus that could help deepen a farm system the organization is clearly trying to keep fortified. For a team that has invested heavily in McGonigle already, the stakes of his award chase reach beyond individual hardware. [Read more 🡒]