Tigers unexpectedly sign former polarizing Braves pitcher and release former Dodger

There are flaws and weaknesses all over the Tigers' 2026 roster, but the most glaring this season has been the bullpen, which is responsible for 28 blown saves, the most in the American League. Kenley Jansen, who has a club option for 2027, is playing himself right back to free agency when the year is over.

The trade deadline came and went with the Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize trades and no new additions for the major league team, despite rumors that Scott Harris was looking for a late-inning reliever.

On Monday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported they'd turned to a different avenue to try to bring the bullpen back from the brink. They signed former Braves reliever Tyler Kinley, released by Atlanta on Saturday, to a major league deal. Ty Madden was optioned after his blowup against the Royals on Sunday, and Ricky Vanasco was DFA'ed. Kinley will be active for Monday night's game against the Rays.

He put up a 4.01 ERA for the Braves before being DFA'ed and released, but had cleaned up his act a little in sparing outings in August, with a 2.08 ERA on the month.

Tigers sign released Braves pitcher Tyler Kinley, DFA Ricky Vanasco

The Braves re-signed Kinley to a one-year, $3 million contract after an incredibly successful stint following the 2025 trade deadline. He threw 25 innings for them down the stretch, for a 0.72 ERA. His 2026 season started out well but went downhill in the first half of May. He missed two weeks in June with elbow inflammation, then posted a 8.64 ERA in July.

Atlanta manager Walt Weiss tended to use Kinley every which way, but he was mostly a setup man, even while he was struggling. AJ Hinch is a very ... shall we say individualistic manager when it comes to bullpen usage, but this might indicate that the Tigers are finally losing faith in Kyle Finnegan or, at least, they were finally willing to do something about it (three weeks too late, but we guess we'll take what we can get).

Vanasco was an easy cut. He pitched 6 1/3 innings for the Tigers in their miserable May — and he made it even more miserable, giving up anywhere between one and four runs in every one of his appearances (he gave up four runs twice).

The Tigers will certainly be hoping to see more of the version of Kinley that started to resurface this month with the Braves, but fans will remain wary until he proves it on the mound.

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