Tigers Reportedly Sign Angels Free Agent Closer to One-Year Deal
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The Detroit Tigers were one game away from the American League Championship Series back in the fall. They were eliminated in the AL Division Series in five games by the Seattle Mariners, who won the deciding game in 15 innings.
A lot of the talk this offseason has been about whether or not Scott Harris and the front office will trade left-handed pitcher and. two-time Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal. There are plenty of suitors for him as he enters the final season of his contract. If he comes back, the front office is loading up the backend of their bullpen as they look to make another deep postseason run as a contender in 2026.
Tigers Reportedly Signing Kenley Jansen to One-Year Contract
Earlier in the week at the Winter Meetings, Detroit brought back Kyle Finnegan after acquiring him at the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals. On Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Tigers have agreed to a one-year contract, pending a physical, with Kenley Jansen to solidify the backend of their bullpen.
The 38-year-old Jansen is coming off a good 2025 season with the Los Angeles Angels. He made 62 appearances and worked 59 innings while converting 29 saves and blowing just one. He had a 2.59 ERA and struck out 57.
Jansen was dominating in his first 12 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had 350 saves for the Dodgers and was a three-time All-Star. After leaving Los Angeles, he pitched two seasons for the Boston Red Sox and one each for the Atlanta Braves and the Angels. He is no stranger to playoff races and pitching in high-leverage situations throughout his career.
He bet on himself with a one-year contract with the Angels and raised his value in free agency for contenders. Detroit saw enough to sign him, and he is just 24 saves away from 500 for his career. If he is anywhere near the pitcher he was in 2025, he should reach that number if he stays healthy in 2026.
The Tigers are giving A.J. Hinch big-time options at the end of the bullpen late in games. He won't have to overwork either Finnegan or Jansen, and each is more than capable of closing games. If there are any concerns about Jansen, it's that the average exit velocity was 91.5 MPH, which was the worst of his career, according to Baseball Savant.
Regardless, this is a good signing as you can never have enough depth at the backend of the bullpen over a 162-game schedule.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.