The Detroit Tigers can’t treat the bullpen like a side project this offseason.
Yes, the rotation needs help. That much is obvious after a 2026 season that ended with the club 10 games under .500 and, at one point, saw Detroit sell at the trade deadline by moving both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize.
But the bigger reason this season went off the rails wasn’t the offense disappearing or the starters failing to hold up their end. It was the relief corps, which never gave the Tigers a trustworthy option when the game tightened up.
That problem showed up in the ugliest way possible: 29 blown saves. For a team with a +71 run differential, that kind of collapse is hard to explain away. Even more frustrating, the top three teams in run differential all reached the playoffs, while Detroit wound up watching October from home.
Kyle Finnegan became one of the clearest symbols of the bullpen’s fall. Across his previous three seasons, he had never finished with fewer than 24 saves.
In 2026, though, he blew 10 of his 12 save chances. And he wasn’t alone in the struggle.
More often than not, the Tigers’ relievers had more blown saves than saves. That’s a fatal flaw for a team trying to stay in the race.
General manager Jeff Greenberg will still need to find depth for the starting rotation, but if he doesn’t fix the late-inning mess, the rest won’t matter much. Detroit needs someone it can actually trust when the game is on the line.
That’s why David Bednar stands out as such an obvious target. The New York Yankees reliever is headed into unrestricted free agency for the first time after playing on a $9 million one-year deal, and his price is only going up after a huge season.
Bednar posted a 2.47 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 35 saves in 2026. In the postseason, his career 1.29 ERA only adds to the appeal.
For a Tigers team desperate for a high-leverage arm, Bednar checks the biggest box on the board. Greenberg should be doing everything he can to bring him to Detroit in 2027.
In Other News...
Tigers Suddenly Have A Real Troy Melton Worry
Troy Melton had given the Tigers every reason to believe they were looking at a homegrown starter worth building around. Over 20 starts in 2026, he emerged as one of the more encouraging arms in the organization, the kind of young pitcher who can change the tone of a rotation if the progress holds.
Now the focus has shifted from what Melton can become to what his right arm will allow. Recurring inflammation and fatigue pushed him onto the 15-day injured list and ended his season early, leaving Detroit with a much less comfortable outlook than it had just a few weeks ago. For a club trying to piece together its pitching future, the real concern is no longer just losing him for the stretch run, but what this means for his health and the rotation plans that were starting to take shape around him. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Pitching Depth Suddenly Looks Much More Real Than Last Year
The Tigers have spent plenty of time talking about building from within on the mound, and this years minor league crop is making that sound a lot more credible. Jake Miller, Lucas Elissalt, Ben Jacobs and Kash Mayfield all figure into the organizations pitching conversation in different ways, with the farm system offering a mix of performance, upside and scouting intrigue that was not nearly as easy to point to a year ago.
What stands out now is not just the list of names, but the fact that there is real depth behind them, enough to keep the Tigers looking closely at roles, health and long-term fit. There is also an added wrinkle if a work stoppage ever narrows the action to minor league games, because that would put even more attention on who is actually ready to matter. For a club trying to stock its future in a sustainable way, that is a meaningful shift. [Read more 🡒]
Max Clark Is Suddenly Central To A Tigers Debate That Matters
The Tigers have spent years talking about building from within, and Max Clark is quickly becoming the kind of homegrown player who can turn that idea into a real roster strategy. With the organization weighing how aggressively to secure its young talent early, Clarks name has moved to the center of a broader conversation about how Detroit might handle its next wave of core players, including Kevin McGonigle. It is the same kind of debate that other clubs have already faced when a promising prospect starts looking less like a future piece and more like a foundational one.
A possible extension for Clark would not be a small commitment, either, with the discussion pointing toward something in the neighborhood of an eight-year deal worth around $140 million if the Tigers choose to move early. The appeal is obvious: lock in elite upside before the price climbs and give the franchise a clearer path to building around its own talent. For a team trying to establish a durable base, the question is not just whether Clark is worth it, but how far Detroit wants to go in making that kind of bet on its young core. [Read more 🡒]