How Tigers Likely Will Configure Bullpen Following Major Free Agent Signings
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The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with an obvious goal of rebuilding their pitching staff, expected by most to look at that area more so than anything else in free agency.
So far, that's been exactly the way Scott Harris and the front office has operated, with virtually every move being for an arm rather than a bat. The first major domino was signing Drew Anderson via the KBO, and while fans hope Anderson is not the only move to address the rotation, the commitment was significant.
Between bringing back Kyle Finnegan to the bullpen as well as signing Kenley Jansen, the bullpen has now been addressed in a big way. How Detroit is going to deploy that bullpen, however, may wind up being the biggest question heading into spring training.
Tigers Have Major Bullpen Questions to Answer Going Forward
When the offseason began, the question many in Detroit had was who is going to be handling the highest leverage moments of games during the 2026 season. Now, that question remains there, just simply with some more options available to provide the potential answers.
A.J. Hinch has abundant tools in his deep bag of tricks as it relates to what buttons he is going to be able to push late in games to give his team the best chance to win. The Tigers have not had a true closer in years, and if Hinch wants to change that, he can absolutely hand over that job to one of the new faces.
Though there are a number of ways Detroit can go here in terms of closer and setup roles, it seems obvious how the bullpen will look at least to begin the year.
Tigers Will Give Kenley Jansen First Chance at Closer Role
Though any of Jansen, Finnegan or even last year's top option in the flame-throwing Will Vest are capable of serving as this team's closer, it seems clear that Jansen is going to get the first crack at it here.
Jansen is the true definition of a closer as baseball's active saves leader, racking up 476 in his career. In 2025, he collected 29 saves on a bad Los Angeles Angels team, posting his best year since 2021 with a 2.59 ERA and 0.949 to collect a 2.4 bWAR over 59 innings pitched.
If Detroit needs to adjust things and go to Finnegan or Vest if things are not going well early for Jansen, Hinch will certainly not hesitate to make a change, but signing Jansen for any other reason than to close would have been foolish.
Having Jansen installed as the regular closer will give the Tigers the opportunity to use Vest back in the setup role he was so dominant in, and potentially have Finnegan get an inning late in games as well.
Last season, when Detroit pulled their starter, there was not much of a path to the bullpen getting a win. Now, with a defined Finnegan, Vest and Jansen hierarchy, this team is going to close out a whole lot of games.
Adjustments can be made, but count on Jansen being the closer to start while Vest and Finnegan set him up the best they can.
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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.