The Tigers got the bullpen help they needed, and they did it in the same style they’ve leaned on under Scott Harris: a veteran on a one-year deal.
That pattern has become hard to miss. Justin Verlander, Alex Cobb, Tommy Kahnle, and Jansen are all part of the recent run of 35-plus-year-old arms Detroit has targeted on short-term contracts.
Whether that’s the right approach or not is one debate. What matters here is that the Tigers identified a clear need and moved quickly to address it.
Last season, Detroit’s late-game problems were impossible to ignore. The Tigers dropped 20 games when they were ahead in the seventh inning or later, and they finished with 32 blown saves. Will Vest’s injury didn’t help, and the late-season slide from Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen made those innings even shakier.
Now Vest is back, hopefully closer to his usual form, and Finnegan remains on the roster. So the Tigers do have names they can use in leverage spots.
The question is how much trust you want to put in those arms. Each of those pitchers allowed an OPS above .800 in high-leverage situations.
Emilio Pagan? Just .424.
That’s the kind of number that changes how a manager can operate. A.J.
Hinch doesn’t always lock into one pitcher for the ninth inning, but Pagan gives him the option to do exactly that when the situation calls for it. He brings real closing experience, too.
In 2026, Pagan posted a 2.85 ERA in save situations. In 2025, it was 2.97.
The fit goes beyond the role. Pagan’s profile lines up well with Detroit’s ballpark and the bullpen’s needs.
He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher, with a 59% fly-ball rate, and that has led to some home run trouble. But he should get some help from a more pitcher-friendly park in Detroit.
He also brings solid command and above-average swing-and-miss stuff, working with a high-vertical four-seam fastball around 95 mph, a cutter at 86 mph, and an 83 mph splitter. All three pitches generate above-average whiff rates.
There is some reason to wonder whether Pagan can match what he did in 2025, but the full picture matters. He opened the season poorly, blowing his first save on Opening Day and then giving up four runs in his third outing.
He later landed on the IL in May. Once he came back, though, he was dominant: 26.1 innings, 29 strikeouts, a 1.71 ERA, and a 0.797 WHIP.
By the end of the year, he had become the Reds’ best reliever, and Terry Francona leaned on him in every kind of late-game spot, sometimes on three straight days. Francona also repeatedly made it a point to talk about how amazing Pagan was as a teammate.
For Detroit, that means a proven high-leverage reliever, a strong clubhouse presence, and another source of swing-and-miss at the back end of the bullpen. On a one-year, $11 million deal, that’s a solid add. It also leaves the Tigers with room to keep working this winter.
In Other News...
Tigers Suddenly Have A Chance To Change Their International Reputation
The Tigers have spent more aggressively in the international market lately, and their recent meeting with Japanese pitching prospect Shoki Oda is another sign they want to be part of that conversation. Oda, an 18-year-old high school arm, is drawing attention from a long list of MLB suitors, with clubs such as the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Astros and Yankees all reportedly in the mix as he weighs a jump to the majors.
For Detroit, the interest goes beyond one player. Landing Oda could give the Tigers a rare foothold with Japanese amateurs at a time when more prospects are at least considering skipping Nippon Professional Baseball altogether. If the Tigers can turn that increased spending into a signing like this, it would say something about how they want to be viewed internationally, not just at home in the AL Central. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Suddenly Have One Offseason Health Question They Can't Ignore
Scott Harris used the GM Meetings to give a clearer picture of where several injured Tigers stand heading into the winter, and the updates offered a mix of relief and concern. Reese Olson is still working back from right shoulder surgery done in February 2026, with Harris describing the recovery as start-and-stop but encouraging overall, while Will Vest has come through two surgeries for a stress fracture in his elbow and a hip issue and is expected to be ready for spring training.
Kerry Carpenter may be the most important name in the group because this offseason is about more than simply getting healthy. He was limited by plantar fasciitis in 2026, but Harris said he is healthy now, and the bigger question is whether the Tigers can count on him for a more durable, full-time role next season. For a club trying to sort out its roster and its depth, that kind of health check matters just as much as any transaction. [Read more 🡒]
Raisel Iglesias Could Be The Bullpen Answer Tigers Fans Need
The Tigers moved on from Kenley Jansen after a season that left too many late innings hanging in the balance, and the search for a steadier back-end option has already started to take shape. Jansens numbers trended the wrong way across the board, and his struggles in high-pressure spots only sharpened the need for Detroit to find a reliever who can shorten games instead of extending them.
Raisel Iglesias fits that profile better than most names on the market. He has been one of the more durable and dependable closers in the game, and his 2026 season backed that up with strong save totals and solid pitching metrics, even if there are still some questions about how much hard contact he allows. The catch for any team chasing him is the likely contract length, since his age figures to keep offers in the two-year range. [Read more 🡒]