Detroit Tigers Reportedly Are Interested in Star Relief Pitcher Kirby Yates
In this story:
The Detroit Tigers are showing interest in one of the best relief pitchers available according to a new report.
Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 is reporting the Tigers are showing interest in Texas Rangers veteran Kirby Yates.
The reliever is going to be 38 years old by the time Opening Day rolls around, but he's also coming off the best season of his 10-year career that saw him be named an All-Star and finish top-10 in Cy Young voting both for the second time in his career.
Yates' 2024 season in his first year with the Rangers was flat-out ridiculous.
In 61 appearances and 61.2 innings pitched, Yates racked up 33 saves with a 1.17 ERA with a jaw-dropping WHIP of 0.827, all while striking out 85 hitters for a K/9 rate of 12.4.
He would be a wonderful addition to any bullpen he joined, but Detroit in particular would absolutely love to land his services.
On top of demonstrated production that is as good as any other reliever in baseball, his age would likely work to the benefit of the Tigers as he would not command more than a one or two year deal.
Not to mention the aspect of a decade long veteran being able to help mentor what is still a young pitching staff is certainly something that would intrigue A.J. Hinch and Chris Fetter.
With a lot of talented, albeit inexperienced, options in the bullpen, bringing in someone like Yates could help to tie everything together and potentially even find Detroit their new closer for the 2025 season.
Ultimately, he would be another piece in the complicated chess match that Fetter and Hinch used to get the team to the playoffs in 2024.
This season, however, the Tigers are looking for more after their first taste of playoff success in a decade, and Yates is someone who could help to make that happen.
Last winter, Yates signed with Texas on a one-year deal that paid him $4.5 million, a number likely will increase when he signs his next deal.
If Detroit could land him on a one-year contract worth between $10 to $15 million and he can give them the same kind of production during this upcoming season that he gave the Rangers in 2024, it would be worth every penny and more.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.