The Tigers’ offseason bullpen picture took a hit the moment Will Vest’s recovery started stretching beyond the original plan.
Detroit put Vest back on its 40-man roster on Nov. 2, the same day it declined Kenley Jansen’s club option. That move sent Jansen into free agency and left the ninth inning without a clear answer, even as Vest continued working his way back.
The organization has plenty of reason to believe Vest can handle the job when he’s right. In 2025, he stepped into the closer role and delivered 23 saves with a 3.01 ERA over 68.2 innings. That kind of production buys patience, especially for a pitcher whose season was derailed by a string of arm issues.
Vest first landed on the injured list in May with right forearm inflammation, then returned later that month. But the trouble came back quickly.
He went back on the injured list on July 1 with inflammation in the back of his right elbow, and that diagnosis later became a stress fracture. At that point, the expectation was that he could heal without surgery and be back on the mound in 2026.
That didn’t hold. Vest had elbow surgery on July 29 and hip surgery on Aug. 11, according to MLB.com, and the injury report now shows a broad 2027 return window. By mid-August, those two procedures had ended his season.
So while his roster spot is secure for now, the real question is whether he can still be counted on in the role that matters most. Vest still has to prove he can face hitters regularly, bounce back between outings and handle the kind of workload a closer gets asked to absorb. One clean spring outing won’t answer that.
That’s where Emilio Pagan enters the conversation. He declined his $10 million player option with the Cincinnati Reds on Oct. 31 and became a free agent, giving Detroit a veteran alternative if it wants a more immediate answer at the back end.
Pagan’s recent numbers are solid: 25 saves and a 3.38 ERA in 2026 after 32 saves and a 2.88 ERA in 2025. He also missed time with a hamstring strain, then closed strong by converting his final 19 save chances and posting a 1.88 ERA over his last 30 appearances, per MLB.com. If the Tigers can make a short deal work, it’s the kind of move worth exploring, especially with the rest of the bullpen needing attention too.
A proven closer would also give A.J. Hinch more flexibility earlier in games. Jacob Waguespack can help bridge the middle innings, and left-hander Drew Sommers could be used more often in spots that fit his fastball-slider mix.
For Vest, the path back is straightforward but not quick. Detroit can ease him in once he’s cleared, start him in lower-leverage spots and build him up as his command and recovery improve.
If he gets back to his old form, Hinch has another trusted option for tight games. If not, the Tigers need someone ready to finish them.
In Other News...
Tigers May Have A Surprise Pitching Find Worth Watching Closely
The Tigers have spent plenty of time this season sorting through pitching depth, and Win Scott has quietly become one of the more interesting names in that mix. The left-hander, acquired from the Atlantic League's High Point Rockers, has moved through the system quickly thanks to strong showings at multiple levels, giving Detroit a developmental arm worth tracking as the organization looks for more homegrown options.
Scott's work in the Arizona Fall League has not matched the cleaner results he posted earlier, but the broader profile still stands out because of the strikeouts and command he has shown along the way. If he keeps trending in the right direction, the next steps could include more time at Double-A and Triple-A before the Tigers have to decide how close he really is to helping at the major league level. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Made A Roster Decision That Could Complicate Pitching Depth
The Tigers trimmed their offseason roster to 40 by outrighting right-hander Yilber Daz to Triple-A Toledo after designating him for assignment. Daz, who was claimed off waivers from Arizona in late June, spent only a brief stretch with Detroit this season, but the organization is keeping him around and is likely to bring him back to Spring Training as a non-roster invite.
The move matters because Daz has already used up his minor league options, which takes away some of the easy roster maneuvering Detroit might have preferred. In a winter when pitching depth always feels fragile, that leaves the Tigers with one less flexible arm to shuttle between Toledo and the majors if injuries or workload concerns start piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Have A Late-Round Bat Fans Should Start Watching
Beau Ankeney spent the 2026 season making the kind of noise that can turn a late-round pick into a name worth tracking. The Tigers 14th-round selection from the 2025 draft showed real pop and enough athleticism to stand out, and after moving up to High-A he kept producing in a way that suggested there may be more here than the usual college-senior first baseman profile.
Ankeney is older than plenty of the players around him, and the swing-and-miss is still part of the package, so this is hardly a finished product. Even so, he has already shown he can do damage against different pitch types and hold his own with the bat in a tougher setting, which is enough to make him one of those deeper-system hitters Detroit fans will want to keep an eye on as the next step comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]