Biggest Free-Agent Mistake the Detroit Tigers Must Avoid This Winter

Detroit should avoid filling essential bullpen roles with rebound bets when its pitching staff already needs more dependable depth.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Detroit Tigers’ biggest free-agent mistake this winter would be building their bullpen around several pitchers whose value depends on a comeback. The organization’s ability to improve an arm has value, but its 2027 relief plan must function while that improvement is still in progress.

The Tigers need additions who can take responsibility for meaningful innings immediately. If too many bullpen jobs depend on recovering health, restored command or a successful pitch redesign, one setback can force the entire group into unfamiliar assignments.

President of baseball operations Scott Harris acknowledged the problem: "I didn't build enough depth into this roster this year," he said in MLB’s year-end report.

That admission should guide Detroit’s winter spending. Free agency must strengthen the roster’s ability to withstand problems, especially when the internal plan already includes players attempting to return from injuries.

A Brief Turnaround Requires a Longer Evaluation

Detroit Tigers pitcher Kyle Finnegan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kyle Finnegan’s recent history illustrates how difficult it is to project relief performance. Detroit re-signed him for two years and $19 million before the 2026 campaign.

Finnegan posted a 1.50 ERA across 18 innings with the Tigers after arriving during the 2025 trade deadline. He finished 2026 with a 4.30 ERA over 60 2/3 innings, recording 47 strikeouts and 34 walks, according to Baseball Savant.

The difference makes a brief run of success an insufficient basis for evaluating the next free-agent addition. Detroit should examine the pitcher’s broader recent performance, including whether his command and ability to miss bats support the role the team intends to give him.

There were encouraging reasons to value Finnegan’s initial improvement. He struck out 23 and walked four during those 18 Detroit innings in 2025. The subsequent decline shows how important it is to build protection around any individual projection.

For a new signing, the same scrutiny should apply to an unusually low ERA over a short stretch, a velocity rebound late in the schedule or a promising mechanical adjustment. Each can strengthen a case without settling it.

The Tigers should also evaluate their additions together. Several individually reasonable gambles can produce a fragile pitching staff if every acquisition needs something to change before he can handle an important job.

Buy Dependable Innings Before Adding More Risk

Detroit Tigers pitcher Will Vest. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Detroit’s existing health questions make that distinction especially relevant. Will Vest and Burch Smith both ended 2026 recovering from surgery, according to MLB’s injury tracker.

The team must account for those absences when evaluating how much outside help it needs. A projected return cannot carry the same certainty as having an available pitcher capable of handling the assignment.

Harris also described a development strategy in which greater starting-pitching depth eventually supplies more bullpen options, as Bless You Boys reported after his year-end press conference. That approach can strengthen the organization over time, but the 2027 roster needs pitchers ready to contribute before that process is complete.

Detroit should therefore prioritize free agents with a sustained recent workload, usable command and a credible way to retire hitters from both sides. Medical evaluations and underlying performance still matter; no signing guarantees availability or success.

The front office should be willing to pay for that established role when the evaluation supports it. Saving money on a contract provides limited value if the resulting vacancy forces an unready pitcher into difficult innings.

Once the Tigers have secured that foundation, they can pursue an affordable rebound candidate whose improvement would make the group better. The staff should retain enough depth to function if that improvement never arrives.

Detroit can continue trusting its development system while buying help for jobs it cannot yet fill reliably. The mistake to avoid is allowing confidence in a possible turnaround to substitute for a bullpen that can survive an ordinary share of setbacks.