Have the Tigers Done Enough To Fortify Their Bullpen

When the Detroit Tigers walked off the field after 15 hard-fought innings against the Seattle Mariners, fans were left frustrated. An underwhelming trade deadline, a divisional lead blown, and weaknesses exposed throughout the final three months of the season.

One of the more glaring weaknesses was Detroit’s bullpen. After riding mostly unknown names into the playoffs in 2024, the Tigers’ bullpen took a step back in 2025. Tyler Holton was no longer unhittable, Beau Brieske could not be trusted, and a collection of fringe major leaguers looked just like that.

Atop the offseason wish list was reinforcements to help shore up the bullpen, especially for leverage innings. Relying on Will Vest every game could no longer be plan A. Detroit needed to add, and so far, they have made a couple of key additions.

But, will Scott Harris and company continue to add, or roll into the season as is? Now with three proven leverage arms, will the focus (and budget) go elsewhere, or will the struggles we saw last season out of the bullpen cause the Tigers to continue investing in late-inning arms?

The First Wave of Major Moves

The first move was bringing back Kyle Finnegan on a two-year deal. Acquired at the deadline, Finnegan quickly established himself as a go-to leverage option and key fixture in the bullpen. The veteran was the only deadline move that made a true impact.

Finnegan is about as consistent as relievers come. Each of his six professional seasons has come with an ERA under 4.00, usually in the mid-3.00s, a decent strikeout rate, and some underlying numbers that might make you worry a little bit.

However, bringing him back was the right move. The Tigers need proven options, and Finnegan’s 112 career saves give manager A.J. Hinch another trusted arm who seemed to fit well in his short time in Detroit.

The second move happened on Saturday when the Tigers inked 16-year veteran Kenley Jansen to a one-year deal with a club option. Jansen comes with four All-Star appearances, a World Series ring, and 476 career saves.

This is the type of signing that looks great on paper. Jansen brings tons of experience and success, two things the Tigers’ bullpen lacked.

Last season, Jansen pitched to a 2.59 ERA and 3.98 FIP while striking out fewer than 10 batters per nine innings for the first time in his career.

The 38-year-old is not what he once was, but his slider still held batters to a .164 average and produced a 36% whiff rate. I think there’s still enough left in the tank for him to be an effective pitcher, but the name carries more weight than the production at this point.

In 2025, we saw the movement on his pitches decrease from years prior, putting more pressure on his cutter to do the heavy lifting. Luckily, his cutter was still one of the best in baseball, but you have to wonder if the trends elsewhere will cause him to take a step back as he continues to age.

Look, overall, I like the move. The Tigers’ bullpen was dying for some stability, and adding one of the most successful bullpen arms of the past 15 years certainly helps.

Do I love it? No, I have my concerns about a pitcher with this many miles on his arm. But, at the end of the day, he should be better than the majority of the arms from the Tigers’ bullpen last season.

Current Options

These latest additions give the Tigers three veterans with steady track records in Jansen, Vest, and Finnegan. We all know about Jansen and Finnegan’s track records. We know what Vest means to this team and how much trust Hinch has in him. But what about the rest of the options?

As of now, there are three lefties in the mix. Holton posted an uncharacteristic 3.66 ERA last year but held similar walk, whiff, and groundball rates as before. The problem was, he gave up 15 home runs, more than double his total from 2024. I expect a bounce back.

The other two are Bailey Horn, a fringe player, and Brant Hurter. Hurter was once again impressive filling a multitude of roles, jumping his K/9 up to 9.71 and still racking up groundballs at a 50% clip. I love his versatility and feel confident in him, but not Horn.

You then get into the mixed bag that is Brieske, Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Owens, Ty Madden, and Dylan Smith. Hanifee was by far the best of the bunch and the most consistent arm, but a heavy reliance on groundballs with little swing and miss can be troubling. A few don’t go your way, and the numbers look a lot different.

I’d argue Brieske had the most frustrating season of the bullpen arms. The fastball got hit hard while the swing-and-miss stuff took a step back, ultimately leading to a 6.55 ERA and a demotion to Triple-A Toledo. From playoff workhorse to Toledo Mud Hen is a rough path.

In order for the Tigers’ bullpen to take another step forward, Brieske will have to bounce back. Even with Finnegan and Jansen in the mix, a 162-game season has a way of finding innings for guys like Brieske.

Next, you get into some wild cards. Owens looked pedestrian, and Smith showed flashes, but still looks raw. Perhaps Madden could return from injury and land in the bullpen, where I think his stuff best fits. He’s a talented arm that has had his prospect shine wear off but still has enough movement and velocity to be worth a shot.

How about Sawyer Gipson-Long? He’s missed most of the past two seasons due to injury but has a slider and changeup that are good enough to carve out a role, if he can stay healthy. There aren’t any surefire minor leaguers projected for the bullpen, but those tend to spawn from obscurity either way.

There is one name we haven’t mentioned that has a chance to become an impact arm, and that is Keider Montero. Montero has been a useful back-and-forth-from-the-minors depth starter, but the first glance we saw of him in a more traditional reliever role was in the playoffs, and I wonder if that’s the role best suited for him.

As of now, the Tigers cannot afford to move him to the ‘pen. Detroit does not have enough starters with experience and a clean bill of health to transition him just yet. But, another depth addition or breakout prospect could make this an interesting possibility.

Do the Tigers Need More?

You have made it through about 1,000 words on the current state of the bullpen. How confident do you feel? Doesn’t it feel like the Tigers need one more pickup? I think so, too.

Even if you factor in the one or two minor league options or low-level free agents that always seem to blossom into guys who can give you innings, I still think the Tigers need more. I just can’t get to a point where I think a 38-year-old Kenley Jansen will give Detroit enough high-end innings to say that’s a wrap on additions.

Also, I have my worries about the lefties. Sure, I think Holton will bounce back, but what if he doesn’t? What if Hurter and Horn struggle too?

As much as Hinch likes to play matchups, I think the need for a lefty is still there. The lack of lefties in the upper minors leads me to believe a flurry of non-roster invitee-level lefties will be added, a prototype Scott Harris has gravitated to on the back end of 40-man rosters.

Another worry I have is with the lack of strikeout stuff in the bullpen. Detroit is one of the only teams in baseball without a 10.0 K/9 pitcher in their projected bullpen. Oftentimes, scenarios will come up where you have runners on and need a strikeout late in a game. Is Jansen still that guy? Or, is Vest the best the Tigers have to offer?

Of the projected bullpen arms, only Jansen and Finnegan do not have a minor league option. Even if you like the group, you need to add. Harris has the flexibility to option someone like Brieske or Hanifee, even if he also finds an upgrade to Horn. Using options to build depth is smart because we all know injuries and underperformances come every year.

Final Thoughts

Right now, the Tigers have a good bullpen. A mixture of proven arms, reasonable bounce-back candidates, and one or two guys with enough unknown potential. But, good isn’t going to cut it. Maybe last year or in 2024, but now the Tigers have bigger goals.

They have a legit chance at winning the division and making noise in the playoffs. Hell, look how close they came last season! The time to get cute and hope for internal development is not now. It’s time for the Tigers to keep adding, stack more arms, and make sure they are not relying on a deadline trade for washed-up arms again.

Add a lefty, maybe even another righty, and fill out the minor league depth with some fliers. The first few moves have been promising, but the work is not done.