Zach Putnam
Zach Putnam was born in Rochester, Michigan, attended Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, and attended the University of Michigan. It is always nice to see a local player on your local team. Putnam, like Clippard, pitched for the rebuilding Chicago White Sox in 2017. He has pitched for the Chicago White Sox since 2014.
Putnam has a career ERA of 3.20 in 145 games. He has a FIP of 3.37, an ERA+ of 124, and a 9.6 K/9. Those are pretty nice numbers, but Putnam comes with some risks.
Putnam will miss at least half of the 2018 season while he recovers from Tommy John Surgery. There is always a risk with a pitcher undergoing surgery, but sometimes it can pay off in a big way. Putnam could be a low risk, high reward player, especially since he has one year of arbitration remaining. That means that Putnam could be controlled through the 2019 season, so in 2019 Putnam could be dealt if he were to pitch well.
Next: Predicting the 2018 Bullpen
The Detroit Tigers bullpen will not be good in 2018 as per usual. Signing both Clippard and Putnam would be beneficial as veteran presences and providing much-needed innings.