Detroit Tigers may be retooling the bullpen this off-season

Detroit Tigers may need to retool their bullpen this off-season.

The Detroit Tigers have a long off-season ahead of them, but they have gotten busy early on and started to make some moves. They are starting to get to a point where they will have to take some time to evaluate what they want the team to look like moving forward.

Beyond this, the Detroit Tigers will have to focus specifically on their bullpen. They will have some work to do since they have already lost some of their bullpen arms from the 2023 season. Some of the players are already out the door, and a few more could fall even as the off-season continues.

It's not to say that they are going to go out and sign a ton of players, but they will have to find some replacements. They still have some of their key pieces in players like Alex Lange and Jason Foley. It's certainly good to have a few of these familiar faces coming back, but the Tigers will also need to find some players to plug into holes elsewhere.

While some of the players are arbitration-eligible, the Tigers made some changes on Monday with a flurry of roster moves that impacted this. They outrighted a couple of relievers who were on the 40-man roster, who have since elected free agency after being assigned in the minors.

On top of that, the Tigers saw one of their familiar faces from the past few years head out. After designating him for assignment, Tyler Alexander walks and will become a free agent. Especially since Alexander has been a staple of the bullpen as a left-hander who can also pitch lengthier outings, the team must bring in a replacement.

Whether it's on the free agent market or waiver wire, Scott Harris and his staff will have to get together this off-season to see where they can squeeze value from. They have to be looking for players who can eat up innings in the bullpen in 2024.

The key is going to be figuring out which players they can bring in that will provide the Tigers with a chance to get competitive outings. Last season, the Tigers brought in a litany of arms on the free agent market and waiver wire to help round out the roster.

Some of these arms came to Detroit on minor-league deals and ended up getting elevated to the big-league level to join the Tigers as needed, i.e., the Braden Bristo's and Matt Wisler's of 2023. Looking ahead to 2024, the Tigers will have to rebuild their bullpen through a similar process, especially with a handful of arms on the way out already.