Detroit Tigers: Ranking All 17 of Al Avila’s 2016 Acquisitions

8. Mark Lowe

WAR: -0.4

WHIP: 1.58

SIERA: 4.07

K/9: 8.94

Like many on this list, Lowe didn’t exactly preform at a lights-out level.

Coming off a 2015 campaign that saw the veteran reliever post a 1.96 ERA and a 2.57 FIP split between Seattle and Toronto, Lowe couldn’t quite put it all together in Detroit.

He initially got off to a solid start, pitching to a 2.79 ERA in his first 10 appearances.

Then a 19-game stretch hit where Lowe was tagged for 30 hits, 26 runs (all earned), nine home runs and nine walks in 15.1 innings. That stretch drove the reliever’s ERA up to 10.44, and he spent the rest of the season trying to lower that number.

In his final 25 appearance’s, Lowe pitched to a 3.70 ERA while striking out 28 in 24.1 innings pitched. At this point, he’d been relegated to working in blowouts, but the rebound was positive nonetheless.

Similar to Pelfrey, Lowe has a year left on his contract, so it will be interesting to see how the Detroit Tigers move forward with him. They could conceivably deal him to clear salary space. A rebuilding club looking to help his value would make sense.

If he stays in Detroit, he’ll look to bounce back following a struggle of a season. His 4.07 SIERA and his numbers down the stretch prove that he can pitch effectively when given the chance.

Should he rebound with the Tigers, it will go a long way towards fixing the team’s bullpen problems.