Tigers' Kenley Jansen signing raises (good) questions about 2026 bullpen

The Tigers' only move off an otherwise silent Winter Meetings was re-signing Kyle Finnegan to a two-year deal. It was expected — both sides were to quick to express interest in a return after Detroit's exit from the postseason — but necessary, and hopefully just the first step in a more comprehensive reworking of the bullpen.

There were some whispers about the Tigers' interest in free agent closer Kenley Jansen, but nothing materialized during Winter Meetings.

However, on Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive was the first to report that the Tigers were nearing an agreement with Jansen, and Jeff Passan was on the agreement. It'll be a one-year deal with a club option for 2027, but the money attached has yet to be reported.

Jansen's addition could signal some incoming competition for the closer role, but it's hard to believe that the Tigers would install him in any other capacity when he has 16 years of experience closing, good for a 2.57 career ERA, four All-Star appearances, and fifth-place Cy Young finish.

What's more likely is some real and much-needed structure in the Tigers' bullpen. Pitching chaos was fun to a certain point, but with Will Vest, Finnegan, and now Jansen, Detroit has three true high-leverage arms to depend on in late innings.

Tigers sign free agent closer Kenley Jansen to a one-year deal with a club option for 2027

Pitching chaos got out of hand in 2025. For all of the good AJ Hinch has done for the Tigers, their late-season roster moves left fans scratching our heads (we still don't know what the deal was with Brenan Hanifee's demotion), and there were times that things felt a little over-managed.

The Tigers have been hesitant to name a proper closer, even though Vest took on the majority of those responsibilities before they traded for Finnegan at the deadline. Even then, the two of them took turns between set-up and closer and very rarely put a foot wrong (we won't talk about that disaster inning for Vest against the Braves in late September).

It's easy to imagine it going Vest, Finnegan, and Jansen in the seventh, eighth, and ninth (though Vest and Finnegan could easily swap places), and it's hard to complain about that. Jansen has 476 career saves, the fourth all-time among closers, and he could very well buy himself a ticket to Cooperstown if he reaches 500 with the Tigers. 2026 will be his age-38 season, but he showed no signs of flagging with the Angels in 2025, pitching 59 innings for 29 saves in 30 opportunities and a 2.59 ERA.

Having three late-inning arms who could all function well in the closer role is a good problem to have. Some Tigers fans might've preferred a younger arm like Robert Suarez or Ryan Helsley, who have both come off the board, but Jansen was both more cost-effective (which the front office surely loved) and has nearly two decades of experience under his belt.

It wouldn't hurt to get perhaps one more middle reliever in the mix, but if Vest, Finnegan, Jansen, Tyler Holton, and Brant Hurter are making up more than half of the Tigers' bullpen, they're in pretty good shape.