A Tigers' contract extension candidate has emerged in the bullpen

The Tigers' bullpen might not look quite as dominant as they did in the first few weeks of the season — Tyler Holton and Beau Brieske in particular have struggled lately — but there's one member that's consistently looked close to unbeatable: Will Vest.

In 12 innings this month, Vest has a 0.00 ERA with one unearned run, and he pitched 10 2/3 with zero runs and just two hits allowed through all of April. He's been credited with four wins, six saves, and has a 1.44 ERA on the season. He's pitched as little as 2/3 innings and as many as two, and has appeared as early as the sixth inning and as late as the ninth.

2025 marked his first year of arbitration eligibility, and the Tigers are paying him $1.4 million after a strong 2024 season, but if he stays this solid throughout the season, he'll warrant a pretty significant pay hike in 2026.

The Tigers could cut out the noise and extend Vest now to cover his next two years of arbitration eligibility and a couple more on top.

Will Vest has emerged as the most powerful piece of Tigers' bullpen and could be worthy of an extension

Tommy Kahnle currently holds the Tigers' most lucrative contract for a reliever at $7.75 million for one year. Kahnle has a lot more experience under his belt than Vest and a longer history of solid work, but a better standard to work off of might be the Nationals' Kyle Finnegan, who's making $6 million this year, his last of arbitration eligibility.

The two have around the same amount of major league experience (Finnegan is in his sixth year, Vest is in his fifth), and almost identical career ERAs (3.51 and 3.53 respectively). Finnegan has been a more traditional closer in his six years with the Nationals and currently leads baseball in saves at 15, but Vest's versatility is a plus in his column.

If the Tigers were to offer $3.5 million for 2026 then $4.5 million in 2027 to cover his arb-eligible seasons, that could be enticing enough. If they were to add a club or mutual option for 2028 worth $6 million and tack on the same amount for 2029, for a total four-year, $20 million extension, Vest might be inclined to listen.

This all depends on how Vest performs through the rest of the season, but if he stays dominant, the Tigers could start working on something behind the scenes. At this rate, however, they might not need much more evidence.