This story was excerpted from Jason Beck's Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The Tigers have made an identity out of bullpen creativity over the last couple of years, from the Pitching Chaos theme of their 2024 charge into the postseason to their conversion of All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan into a do-everything leverage role upon his arrival at last summer’s Trade Deadline. As they head into the 2026 season, they’re lined up to do something historic.
Since the save became an official statistic in 1969, no team has opened a season carrying three pitchers who had recorded 20 or more saves in the previous season. With Finnegan's return, Kenley Jansen’s signing and Will Vest still on board, the Tigers have such a trio under contract. And they’ll be pitching for a manager who has proudly declined to name a closer for most of his five-year Tigers tenure.
Yes, manager A.J. Hinch now has no shortage of options for the ninth inning. But he’s just as likely to place priority on those arms for the most dangerous part of the opposing lineup, whether it’s due up in the ninth or not.
“I wouldn’t say the specific [save] stat itself was something we were targeting,” general manager Jeff Greenberg said a couple weeks ago. “We were targeting impact arms that we felt could help this team win games in different situations. … And we have a manager in A.J. who is so good at finding ways to get the most out of these guys, putting those pieces together, using our guys in the right situations to get those wins.”
It’s a setup that admittedly requires buy-in from those involved. When the group includes a likely future Hall of Famer who sits 24 saves shy of 500 (Jansen), a former All-Star (Finnegan) and an arbitration-eligible reliever two years away from free agency (Vest), it becomes critical.
The Tigers are on board.
“I think it just feeds into the mindset of our bullpen,” said Finnegan, who got his old jersey No. 67 back in a swap with Bailey Horn, last month. “We have lots of different guys that can do lots of different things, and anytime you can get more options to throw in leverage, it’s a huge advantage. And you look at a lot of the teams in the postseason, their bullpens are built with multiple guys that you can throw out there in the eighth, ninth inning and have confidence that they can get it done. So I think the more closers you have on your team, the better.
“I think whoever it is, is going to have the mindset of: Tell me when to pitch and I’ll go out there and do my best.”
Jansen had a similar outlook when he talked with reporters a few days earlier. Despite his track record and his milestone chase, he said he came with no guarantees of being a set closer, and it wasn’t a priority for him.
“It’s about winning,” Jansen said. “To me, yes, it’s unbelievable numbers to get this close. But like I told A.J., I didn’t do this to get 500 saves or 400 saves, whatever. You know, I was on a pretty good team, the Dodgers. I’ve had great opportunities, and all our focus is to try to help a team win, and all those things came with it. So at the end of the day, it will be a great accomplishment, but I think the greater accomplishment will be to try to get deep in the postseason and win the World Series with the Tigers. That’s my accomplishment at the end of the day. That’s why I’m here.”
Expect that mix to become clearer as Spring Training unfolds.
“We will build the team over the course of [the offseason] with some soft focus on what’s the best way to use the group,” Hinch said during last month’s Winter Meetings. “Then we’ll sort it out during the spring a little bit. Like, are there competitions for important innings? Of course. Are there competitions for at-bats? Of course. But performance in the spring is a tough gauge.”