This is what I have been thinking about, given the problems with the Detroit Tigers’ pitching in general and, even more so, the limitations of the bullpen. During the second half of the season, Detroit’s relievers combined for a 22.1% strikeout rate, finishing 11th among the 15 teams in the American League. That doesn’t take away from the fact that the guys had a certain level of dominance, as they finished allowing only a .213 batting average, the second-lowest in the league, behind the Cleveland Guardians (.212).
Much of that dominance was in the pitchers’ ability to induce ground balls. Detroit finished in third place, with a 44.6% rate. However, the low strikeout rate also made a difference in the results, because there were many high-pressure situations in which the Tigers’ bullpen proved too prone to contact. At the end of the season, they finished with 31 blown saves, a franchise record.
A Choice That Could Offset the Bullpen’s Problems
The urgency to change the approach and the need to rebuild the bullpen should go hand in hand in the Detroit Tigers’ future plans. There will be many decisions to make, but everything should start with choosing which arms Detroit will trust again to maintain its leads. That said, they have to find a way to prevent the problems of Kyle Finnegan (22) and Will Vest (18) from happening again, as they have combined for 40 blown saves over the last three seasons.
There could be internal solutions, especially because of the improvements by pitchers such as Drew Sommers and Drew Anderson. However, the Tigers need more arms to cover the late innings before getting to Kenley Jansen. Bryan Abreu could be one of those options, as he is used to dealing with these types of situations after doing so throughout his career with the Houston Astros. Abreu could provide a strong arm and much more consistency than Detroit’s right-handed relievers have offered in recent seasons.
He can also strike batters out, with the tenth-best strikeout rate (12.23 K/9) among qualified relievers with at least 150 innings pitched since 2024.
Abreu improved considerably after the All-Star break, when he raised his K-BB% rate from 9.9 to 19.8 and lowered his FIP from 6.26 to 3.00. He also allowed fewer home runs, reducing his HR/9 from 2.03 to 0.57. Although the two home runs he allowed in September cost Houston two losses, Abreu maintained consistency in his last 34 relief appearances, from July 7 through the end of the season.
Over that span, he recorded a 1.87 ERA, with 43 strikeouts in 33 ⅔ innings, 11 holds, and four saves. Abreu finished in the 97th percentile in Whiff%, the 92nd in xBA, and the 91st in K%, three metrics that define his potential as an interesting option for a bullpen in need of impact like Detroit’s.
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