DETROIT -- Kenley Jansen’s quest to join the 500-saves club will have to continue with another team. The Tigers declined their $12 million option on the legendary closer, paying a $2 million buyout and making the 39-year-old right-hander a free agent.
The Tigers picked up their $10 million option on Drew Anderson, bringing back the versatile right-hander for a second year. They also re-signed reliever Jacob Waguespack to a one-year Major League contract worth $1.3 million, with another $200,000 possible in innings-based bonuses.
Neither contract option decision was a surprise, though it leaves the Tigers without an established closer heading into the offseason.
Jansen, signed last winter, had a season of mixed numbers. The basic stats were solid, including 22 saves, a 3.20 ERA and 4.8 hits per nine innings. He was more effective from June onward, posting a 2.40 ERA while allowing just 15 hits over 30 innings with 32 strikeouts.
Dig a little deeper, though, and Jansen had six blown saves and two extra-inning losses in which he entered a tie game. His 23 walks in 45 innings marked the third-highest rate of his career, and his seven home runs resulted in his second-worst homer rate. Four of those home runs were walk-offs. Another helped put the Tigers behind in the 10th inning at home against the Astros on June 28.
Six of Jansen’s seven homers allowed came in what Baseball-Reference defines as high-leverage spots, situations in which win probability could swing the most. Opponents posted a .714 OPS against Jansen in high-leverage situations, compared with a .551 OPS and a .381 OPS in medium- and low-leverage situations, respectively. The .714 high-leverage OPS came despite a .133 average on balls in play.
The Tigers do not have a logical successor in their organization. Will Vest led the team in saves in 2025, but he underwent hip surgery plus a procedure to repair a stress fracture at the tip of his elbow. Tyler Holton, who had two saves this season and eight in 2024, might be able to shift roles with the emergence of fellow lefty Drew Sommers.
This winter’s free-agent closer market is thinner than last year, led by 36-year-old Raisel Iglesias and former Tigers closer Gregory Soto. Padres lefty Adrian Morejon and Astros righty Bryan Abreu are elite setup men and fill-in closers who could be intriguing if manager A.J. Hinch wants to go back to a bullpen without a set closer.
The Tigers’ decision on Anderson was simpler. His one-year, $7 million deal last winter to return to the Majors after four years in Japan and Korea included a $10 million option for this season, with no buyout. The deal paid dividends, particularly once Anderson moved into the rotation full-time following the Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize trades.
For the season, Anderson went 5-7 with two saves and a 3.67 ERA across 49 appearances, allowing 94 hits over 108 innings with 114 strikeouts. He posted a 2.84 ERA over his final nine appearances, all starts.
“I think we're really proud of bringing Drew here,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said, “because that evaluation wasn't all that easy. He was pitching in Korea, so part of it is evaluating the type of pitcher that he was in Korea, and part of it is trying to translate his stuff to the big things with a different ball, different environment, different hitters, different schedule, all of that stuff.
“The thing we're proud of is we knew the fastball was going to play given the characteristics of the fastball and how he used it. We knew that the kick change was a real weapon for him. We thought there was more in there with the spin options, and I think he got to that over the course of the season. I think there are some development levers left for him.”
Waguespack was a revelation as a midseason pickup, acquired from Milwaukee in June for cash. He’d been pitching in the Brewers' farm system, but he quickly found a role in Detroit’s bullpen, posting a 2.49 ERA to go with a 2-2 record. He allowed just 25 hits over 47 innings with 18 walks and 35 strikeouts.
Waguespack was eligible for free agency at season’s end. The Tigers moved quickly to bring him back; his $1.3 million base salary includes incentives -- $25,000 for 45 and 50 innings, then $50,000 for 55, 60 and 65 innings.
The Tigers also reinstated Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows, Reese Olson, Wenceel Pérez, Trey Sweeney, Vest and Matt Vierling from the 60-day injured list. To make room on the 40-man roster, Detroit placed right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long and left-hander Bailey Horn on unconditional release waivers. Outfielder Corey Julks was outrighted and became a free agent. Right-hander Yilber Díaz was designated for assignment.