How Emilio Pagan Impacts the Tigers’ Offseason Plan

The Detroit Tigers made their first impactful move of the offseason, signing veteran Emilio Pagan to a one-year, $11 million deal. Pagan, a 10-year veteran, had spent the past three seasons in Cincinnati, serving as the Reds’ closer over the past two years.

While Pagan might not be the flashiest name on the market, he’s a solid veteran who has posted a 3.64 ERA across 522 career games. His experience isn’t limited to filling the sixth or seventh inning, as he has also pitched in plenty of high-leverage situations, especially in the ninth inning — a role the Tigers desperately need.

The Tigers didn’t waste any time adding to their roster. A clear need was addressed right away, and now they have plenty of time to find solutions to upgrade their roster elsewhere. Pagan is a fit that I especially like in Detroit, and the $11 million price tag still allows them flexibility throughout the offseason.

Pagan’s Role in the Tigers’ Bullpen

Last season, the Tigers added veteran Kenley Jansen to help with their leverage innings and chase his 500th save. Jansen was certainly at the end of his career and had already shown signs of decline. While he had his moments with the Tigers, he was mostly underwhelming. Although Pagan is also nearing the end of his career, I think there’s much more left in the tank than what we saw from Jansen.

Since Scott Harris took over, the Tigers have fallen in love with 35-plus-year-old veterans on one-year deals. Justin Verlander, Alex Cobb, Tommy Kahnle, and Jansen, to name a few. There’s an obvious trend and preference for paying veterans who are willing to sacrifice term, making the deal safer for the Tigers. We could argue whether that path is good or bad, but that’s a different discussion for a different day.

What we do know is that the Tigers’ bullpen needed help, and they addressed it right away. Last season, the Tigers lost 20 games in which they were leading in the seventh inning or later and had 32 blown saves on the year. Will Vest being injured certainly did not help, but the decline of Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen made for an unsettling watch in the late innings.

With Will Vest returning and hopefully back to his normal self, and Kyle Finnegan still on the roster, the Tigers have options and experience in leverage situations. Now ask yourself how comfortable you are with those innings. Each of those players allowed an OPS over .800 in high-leverage situations. Emilio Pagan? A mere .424.

Although manager A.J. Hinch does not always turn to a single player for the ninth inning in save situations, Pagan will give Hinch the opportunity to do so. In 2026, Pagan posted a 2.85 ERA in save situations, and in 2025, it was 2.97. Not only does he have experience, but he has the success to back it up.

Pagan’s profile also fits Detroit’s ballpark and needs very well. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher (59% FB rate), which has led to some home run issues, but he should benefit from Detroit’s more pitcher-friendly park. He also comes with solid command and above-average swing-and-miss stuff. He features a high-vertical four-seam fastball that sits around 95 mph, a cutter that drops down to 86 mph, and a splitter at 83 mph, all of which produce above-average whiff rates.

While there’s some concern about Pagan taking a slight step back in 2026 compared to 2025, I think there’s some important context to consider. He struggled a bit at the start of the season, blowing his first save on Opening Day before allowing four runs in his third outing. He then hit the IL in May, but once he returned, he was lights out: 26.1 innings pitched, 29 strikeouts, a 1.71 ERA, and a 0.797 WHIP.

Down the stretch, Pagan was the best reliever in the Reds’ bullpen, and manager Terry Francona trusted him in every late-game scenario, sometimes three days in a row. Not only did Francona trust him, but he also consistently made a point of talking about how amazing Pagan was as a teammate.

The Tigers are getting a proven high-leverage arm, a great clubhouse presence, and someone who can add some swing-and-miss to the back of their bullpen. On a one-year deal for only $11 million, I’d say that’s pretty good. The structure of this deal also means the Tigers still have room to maneuver this winter.

Impact on the Rest of the Offseason

The more I think about this signing, the more I like it. The Tigers have a number of needs to address this offseason, and they’ve already tackled one of the most important ones. Fixing the bullpen is going to take more than one signing, but they’ve gotten an important one out of the way.

I don’t view the Pagan addition as one that prevents the Tigers from adding another high-leverage arm. Kyle Finnegan obviously isn’t the same pitcher he once was, and I don’t think the Tigers want to trust him in the late innings if they don’t have to. A one-year deal for Pagan shouldn’t prevent the Tigers from adding another leverage arm if one is available, but it also keeps them from having to overpay or make a panic move as other options come off the board.

Knowing you have a pitcher with this type of closer experience already on your team allows you to shift your focus and resources to other areas of the roster. I’m always in favor of addressing needs early in the offseason to better understand what’s left on your to-do list and how much money you have to get it done. The $11 million deal shouldn’t prevent the Tigers from making impactful additions, considering how much money has come off their books from last year.

Detroit can continue to add to its bullpen. Drew Anderson is back for 2027 and should be a nice swingman or long reliever, Jacob Waguespack showed enough to have an inside track, Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter have been consistent lefties, and Drew Sommers showed some promise. There might be an issue with Hurter and Sommers being the only two with options, but injuries always play a role. I don’t trust the current options nearly enough to avoid making another addition to the bullpen if one is available.

However, if you don’t find another veteran to add to the bullpen, it’s not the end of the world. If the Tigers had waited around and tried to find a cheap option at the end of the winter, we might be talking about a different story. With Pagan signed, the Tigers can now turn their focus toward adding a bat or another starter.

You can check the box for a high-leverage reliever; now you need to check the box for an upgrade to the lineup. Detroit added $11 million to its payroll, but had almost $100 million come off its books from Jack Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Gleyber Torres, and others. With clear needs in the infield and corner outfield, I think the Tigers have all of their options ahead of them.

Maybe you chase a more expensive bat, such as Jazz Chisholm Jr. or Randy Arozarena. Want to shift your focus to trades? Jordan Westburg is a player I wrote about last week as a potential Tigers fit. Knowing that a significant need has already been filled gives the Tigers a bit of ease and certainty moving forward.