Could Detroit Tigers Still Land Effective Veteran Reliever to Upgrade Bullpen?

The Detroit Tigers had one of the very best bullpens in all of Major League Baseball last season, as they finished fifth in reliever ERA at 3.55.

In an effort to maintain the momentum the team built with it surprising run to the ALDS in 2025, management doubled down on this strength, adding arms like Tommy Kahnle, Andrew Chafin and John Brebbia into the mix with a group that featured established stars like Tyler Holton and Jason Foley.

Manager A.J. Hinch and the Tigers showed last year with their unique approach to pitching that you can never have enough dominant arms to call upon, and 16-year veteran and recent Texas Rangers reliever David Robertson is still on the market, representing a potential third elite relief option for Hinch if the Tigers were to add him.

Writing in MLB Trade Rumors, Nick Deeds pointed out the previous rumored connection between the Tigers and Robertson earlier in the offseason and wondered if there still may be a fit.

"Meanwhile, the Tigers have not been connected to Robertson in earnest since signing right-hander Tommy Kahnle, although its worth noting that Kahnle has just eight career saves and that the Tigers were reported to be interested in specifically adding an arm with closing experience to their late-inning mix," Deeds wrote.

While the additions of Kahnle and Brebbia are certainly helpful, there are not any Tigers in the current bullpen whose 2025 Fangraphs projections have them topping the 3.00 ERA or 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings rate that Robertson produced with the Rangers in 2024.

Robertson was so effective in his 16th Major League season last year that he ranked 12th among all relief pitchers in strikeouts per nine and ninth in Fangraphs WAR.

The Alabama native has showcased persistent dominance in the back half of his career. In 2022, Robertson gave the Chicago Cubs 40.1 innings of a 2.23 ERA to go with 51 strikeouts and 14 saves. He followed that up with 40 innings of 2.05 ERA ball with the New York Mets in 2023, though he struggled in the portion of that season he spent with the Miami Marlins.

If the Tigers decide to make another bullpen move a priority, they would likely have to offer Robertson more than the $7 million he would have made on the mutual option he declined with Texas.

According to Spotrac, the Tigers have a projected total allocation of roughly $139 million this year, far beneath the lowest luxury tax threshold.

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