2 more shrewd bullpen signings Tigers can make to capitalize on Kenley Jansen deal

The Detroit Tigers already did the hard part. They went out and added Kenley Jansen –– a legitimate, battle-tested closer who instantly raises the floor of this bullpen and changes the tone of late innings at Comerica Park. That’s not nothing. That’s a signal. It says we’re done pretending saves will magically appear.

Now comes the part that actually decides whether that move matters. Because adding Jansen and then calling it a day would be like buying a security system and leaving the front door unlocked. If the Tigers really want to capitalize on this move — not just win the press conference — there are two shrewd, very “Scott Harris-coded” bullpen signings still sitting right there.

One is a high-upside swing. One is a dependable, boring-in-the-best-way adult. Both make sense for the Tigers if they want to make the most out of the Jansen signing.

2 more shrewd bullpen signings Tigers can make to capitalize on Kenley Jansen addition

Michael Kopech

This is the one that makes Tigers fans lean forward.

Michael Kopech has burned people before — and that’s exactly why he’s interesting now. The raw stuff is still outrageous. Upper-90s velocity. A slider that, when it’s right, looks unhittable. The difference is he wouldn’t be asked to save anyone in Detroit.

Kopech wouldn’t need to be the guy. He wouldn’t even need to be the setup guy. With Jansen locking down the ninth, Kopech could live in the sixth and seventh innings, deployed selectively, protected from himself when needed, and allowed to do the one thing he still does better than most: miss bats.

This is the kind of signing that looks reckless if you don’t already have structure — and looks brilliant if you do. With Jansen, Detroit suddenly has that structure.

If it works? You just stole leverage upside on a cheap deal. If it doesn’t? You didn’t stake the bullpen’s entire identity on Kopech. That’s the bet worth making.

Chris Martin

Every good bullpen needs one guy who rarely induces anxiety. That’s Chris Martin.

He doesn’t light up radar gun. He doesn’t come with upside buzz. He just… gets outs. Year after year. Quietly. Efficiently. Without walking the ballpark or melting down when inherited runners are involved. This is the exact type of arm that stabilizes everything around him. And he won't cost you much.

Martin is the guy AJ Hinch trusts with a one-run lead and two men on. The guy who lets younger relievers breathe. The guy who shortens games without ever demanding attention. Every contender has one. Detroit doesn’t — yet.

For the Tigers, this isn’t about chasing a bullpen headline. It’s about stacking probabilities. Jansen gives you credibility at the end of games. Martin gives you reliability in the middle. Kopech gives you upside that can swing outcomes.

None of this blocks young arms. None of it wrecks future payroll. All of it supports what Detroit is already trying to build — a pitching-driven team that stops giving games away in the seventh inning.

The Tigers don’t need six flamethrowers or another risky closer experiment. They need to be smart. Two cheap, intentional bullpen moves — one boring, one volatile — would turn the Jansen signing from a nice addition into a statement. And for a franchise that’s spent years stuck between caution and contention, that would finally feel like momentum instead of maintenance.