The Tigers’ bullpen problems were impossible to miss this season, and the issue started with how thin the pitching depth really was once injuries hit the rotation. What was supposed to be a strength never settled in, and Detroit kept paying for it late in games.
Will Vest, Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen were supposed to anchor the relief corps at the beginning of the year, but none of the three gave the Tigers the steady production they were counting on. Each spent time on the injured list in 2026, and the group was among the most inconsistent parts of the roster.
Scott Harris did add multiple pitchers in the 2025 offseason, so he’s already shown a willingness to shop the open market when the bullpen needs help. But if Detroit chooses not to make major free-agent additions this winter, there are internal names worth watching.
Nick Sandlin is one of them. The right-hander has big-league experience, having debuted in 2021 with the Cleveland Guardians and later pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels.
He opened the 2026 season with the Angels, but things went sideways fast: in eight games, he logged an 11.42 ERA over 8.2 innings before being designated for assignment in May and electing free agency. Sandlin eventually landed with the Tigers on a minor-league deal.
His stint with Toledo looked much more like the pitcher Detroit remembered. Sandlin finished 2026 with a 3.00 ERA in 30 games for the Mud Hens, striking out 54 and holding opponents to a .182 batting average.
He won’t reach free agency until 2028, so the Tigers still control him for two more seasons. With a career MLB ERA of 3.51 across 220 innings, he gives the organization a proven arm who could factor into the bullpen mix.
Tyler Mattison is another internal option. Drafted by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the right-hander fits the kind of pitcher Harris likes to build from within. Mattison spent 2026 with Toledo and turned in a 3.81 ERA over 45 games and 54.1 innings, striking out 63 while posting a 1.49 WHIP.
That WHIP is too high for a late-inning job right now, but Mattison could still be useful if Detroit needs a call-up because of injuries. He may not begin the season in the majors, but he could be on the doorstep of an MLB opportunity in 2027. His swing-and-miss stuff gives him a chance, though he’ll need to get hitters to chase more pitches out of the zone if he wants to stick around for long.
In Other News...
Tigers Just Got A Crucial Troy Melton Rotation Update
Troy Meltons forearm tightness could have created a much bigger problem for the Tigers, but the latest update offers real relief as the club begins thinking ahead to its 2027 rotation picture. After landing on the injured list, Melton underwent testing that did not show any structural issues, and he has been cleared to keep up his normal offseason routine.
For a team already sorting through a long list of arms, that matters. Detroit is weighing how Melton fits alongside names like Framber Valdez, Jackson Jobe and River Ryan, and any concern around a young pitchers health can quickly complicate those plans. For now, the Tigers can at least move forward knowing Meltons situation appears far less ominous than it first seemed. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Can't Afford The Wrong Rotation Splash This Offseason
The Tigers spent much of the season looking like a team with a pitching identity worth building around, and that makes the coming offseason so delicate. The appeal is obvious: add a veteran starter who misses bats, slot him behind the current core, and suddenly the rotation looks deeper and more dangerous in a division that rewards run prevention. Sonny Gray and Michael King fit that kind of conversation on paper, with the kind of track records that can make a front office lean in.
But the closer look is where the caution creeps in. Both pitchers have shown recent trends that raise questions about whether the strikeout weapon is still as sharp as it once was, and neither would come cheap in contract terms. For a Tigers club trying to make the right kind of splash, the challenge is not finding a recognizable arm, but avoiding the mistake of paying premium prices for a pitcher whose best strength may no longer be fully there. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Are Still Waiting To See The Tarik Skubal Payoff
Tarik Skubal is already on another stage this October, working in the NLCS for the Dodgers, which only sharpens the sense in Detroit that the full meaning of that trade still has to be sorted out. For Tigers fans, the conversation has shifted from the pitcher they watched leave to the three players the club brought back, and whether that package can eventually match the kind of impact Skubal is chasing elsewhere.
Zyhir Hope has given the Tigers the most encouraging early sign, turning heads with his performance in the Arizona Fall League. River Ryan has reached the majors, though injuries have complicated his path, and Brady Smith remains on the injured list while the organization expects him back in 2027. None of that settles the question yet, but it does give Detroit a reason to keep watching this deal with real interest. [Read more 🡒]