Four Potential Bullpen Targets for Tigers During Free Agency This Winter
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The Detroit Tigers head into the offseason coming off a second straight heartbreaking playoff exit at the exact same spot in Game 5 of the ALDS.
It felt different this year, though. On the heels of a historic division lead collapse in the AL Central compared to when the Tigers put together a small miracle to make the playoffs, losing in this fashion once again was painful.
Still, this is a young, ascending team that is capable of competing for championships soon. Because of that, there should be a ton of excitement amongst the fanbase, but there are still some holes that need to be addressed before Detroit can take that next step.
One of those holes down the stretch of this year was the bullpen. So, one of the main focuses for Scott Harris this offseason should be finding high-leverage relievers who can get outs late in games. Here are four that could make a lot of sense.
Robert Suarez
Robert Suarez is among the best closers in all of Major League Baseball. He led the National League this past season with 40 saves during what was his second consecutive All-Star campaign. Posting a 2.97 ERA and 0.904 WHIP over his 70 appearances that saw 75 strikeouts compared to just 16 walks in 69.2 innings, the right-hander should be a dream target for any closer-needy team.
Whether the Tigers will get involved is an entirely different question, as Suarez just turned down an $8 million player option to become a free agent. Spending big on relief pitching is a luxury only great teams have, but Suarez could be the final piece to make this Detroit team a real contender.
The Tigers might not make a real push here, but they should have the right-hander at the top of their wish list.
Kenley Jansen
Kenley Jansen signed a one-year deal worth $10 million to join the Los Angeles Angels last winter. And while things got off to a rocky start, the future Hall of Famer ended up having a great campaign.
At the age of 38, Jansen posted a 2.59 ERA, 0.949 WHIP, 29 saves and a bWAR of 2.4 across 62 appearances. One of the best closers of this generation, he proved to still have something left in the tank for contending teams out there.
If Detroit wants a veteran presence who can still get it done on a likely one-year deal, Jansen could be the man for the job.
Hoby Milner
The Tigers may not be willing to spend huge chunks of change on the bullpen, so if they want to take a chance on someone coming off an average season, then someone like Hoby Milner could make a ton of sense for them.
In an ideal world, adding Milner and one of the two arms mentioned above would be perfect, largely because the southpaw is not expected to command a huge salary coming off a year where he had a minus-0.6 bWAR.
His walk numbers went up and his strikeout numbers went down, which showed there could be something mechanically wrong with the 34-year-old. Versatility is important and left-handers are necessary in the bullpen, though. So even though he's coming off an ugly showing, perhaps Detroit can get the most out of him.
Kyle Finnegan
The one who could prove to make the most sense is a potential reunion with their trade deadline acquisition. By everything Kyle Finnegan has said since the season came to a close, he is more than open to coming back and may even prefer it if the price is right.
Though caution should be exercised after the right-hander suffered an injury late, he was pretty much lights out for Detroit with a 1.50 ERA and 0.722 WHIP across 16 regular season appearances after they acquired him at the deadline.
If the Tigers think he can put up similar numbers over the course of a full campaign, then paying Finnegan becomes a no-brainer. Should the cost be reasonable, this has to be an outcome that both sides here would love.
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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.