Tigers Reportedly Showing Interest in Yankees Free Agent Former Star Reliever
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The Detroit Tigers go into the offseason trying to take the next step as an organization after getting back to the playoffs only to be eliminated in the same spot they were the year prior.
Detroit is a young and ascending team rapidly climbing the American League ladder, but clearly are still a ways away from being able to win a championship. As a result, they will and have been linked to numerous huge splash free agents as president of baseball operations Scott Harris plots his next move.
On Tuesday, though, a name emerged connected to the Tigers to help strengthen an area that was extremely weak from the middle of the 2025 season on, and it's an interesting one.
During a Tuesday segment on the MLB network, baseball insider Jon Morosi revealed that he has heard Detroit is involved in the pursuit of New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams coming off a rough debut season in the Bronx.
Tigers Have Interest in Devin Williams According to Morosi
After New York acquired Williams in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, coming off a stellar career there, he struggled under the bright lights and pressure of being the Yankees' closer, posting the worst season of his career.
With a 4.79 ERA and -0.3 bWAR, the two-time All-Star was not anywhere near what New York needed and it was an extremely turbulent year for him. After wearing out his welcome with the fanbase, Williams seems likely to depart, and perhaps Detroit can be the team to pounce on him.
Despite his struggles, there is still a lot to like about Williams and there's reason to believe he could thrive in the Motor City.
Williams is Exactly What Tigers Bullpen Was Missing This Season
Hitting the open market at what would seemingly be the worst possible time, Williams' market is reported to be extremely robust with some teams believing his 4.79 ERA is more of an outlier than an accurate representation of what he is as a player,.
Williams still posted a 1.129 WHIP and remained one of the best strikeout relievers in baseball, collecting 90 K's in 62 innings and putting up a very solid 2.68 FIP, both figures which would have been the best in Detroit's bullpen.
If the Tigers want to make a meaningful upgrade while adding more swing and miss to their staff, signing Williams could be exactly what the bullpen needs.
The bad news on Morosi's report is that it included interest from numerous other teams as well, some of them being huge spenders such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants.
It does not seem the rough campaign impacted Williams' market all that drastically, and he is still likely to receive a significant multi-year commitment.
Should Detroit feel strongly about Williams, though and what he can bring to the bullpen, there's a real argument to be made that they should be the team to present him with a lucrative contract he cannot refuse.
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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.