LAS VEGAS — In Sin City, Tigers president Scott Harris seems eager to double-down.
One year after the Tigers stocked up on pitching in the hot-stove season, they appear to be preparing to let it ride on arms again. Pitching remains the Tigers’ priority this offseason, Harris said Tuesday, Nov. 10, on the first day of the general managers meetings at Aria on the Strip.
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Specifically, Harris singled out relief pitching. And beyond that, he highlighted swing-and-miss relief pitching.
Tigers president Scott Harris speaks with MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi at MLB’s general managers meetings at Aria in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.
The Tigers’ bullpen was bottom 10 in Major League Baseball in strikeouts in 2026. The Tigers’ bullpen blew exactly half of their save opportunities — 32 of 64 — which was a prime culprit behind them finishing the season 76-86, and missing the postseason for the first time since 2023.
“We want to add more swing-and-miss in the back end of our pen. We want to add like a stable veteran presence who can get righties out and get lefties out and add a little more leadership to our clubhouse,” Harris said Tuesday in a conversation with reporters that lasted nearly a full hour. “If we can find that, that’d be great.”
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That pitcher (or pitchers) doesn’t necessarily have to be a closer, Harris said, in reiterating his long-standing philosophy in working with manager AJ Hinch.
More: MLB free-agency has begun: Here are 10 possible targets for the Tigers
But it’s worth noting that the Tigers don’t have a player signed who had more than two saves for them last year. Will Vest (two saves) struggled on the mound and with his health in 2026, undergoing hip and elbow surgeries.
“My job is just to fill the roster with really good arms,” said Harris, “and let AJ sort it all out.”
The Tigers this offseason decided to part ways with veteran closer Kenley Jansen, two saves shy of him reaching 500 for his career. They declined his option after an up-and-down season that didn’t live up to the expectations when they signed him for $11 million in 2026. He had a 3.20 ERA and 1.044 WHIP, and his strikeouts per nine innings were up from 2025 (10.2, from 8.7). But other numbers were more alarming, especially walks per nine innings (4.6) and FIP (4.46). Home runs per nine innings also were up slightly, and he gave up some huge home runs.
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The Tigers also re-signed Kyle Finnegan to a two-year, $19-million deal last offseason, and he had a very rough 2026, with a WHIP of 1.665. Finnegan will be back for 2027, and it’s likely he’ll have some a new bullpen mate or three as Harris acknowledged the minor-league pipeline to the back end of the bullpen isn’t where the organization wants it.
“So we’re going to have to find different acquisition avenues to add to our ‘pen right now,” Harris said.
If the Tigers do go shopping for a closer-type reliever, veteran right-handed closers David Bednar, 32, and Raisel Iglesias, 36, are two of the top names on the market. If the Tigers want to try rehabbing a player who had a down 2026, right-hander Bryan Abreu, 29, could be a way to go on a shorter-term deal. Hinch is familiar with Abreu from their time together with the Houston Astros.
The Tigers had few success stories to speak of with emerging relievers in 2026, outside of perhaps lefty Drew Sommers and right-hander Jacob Waguespack, who was acquired in a June trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, posted a 1.3 WAR and recently resigned for 2027 on a one-year, $1.3-million contract. Right-hander Burch Smith had his moments, too. But of the Tigers’ top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline, there are no major league-ready relievers outside of lefty Andrew Sears (No. 13), who had a 7.11 in a small sample (six games) with the Tigers down the stretch.
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“Longer term, we want to be able to produce homegrown bullpens that can pitch together, stay together, and get better together,” Harris said. “I think we’re well on our way to doing it, but this offseason we’ve got to find a way to add to our ‘pen externally because the homegrown arms we’ve been trading for, drafting, developing, haven’t all gotten there.”
Drew Anderson also was signed last winter and returns to the Tigers in 2027 after they picked up his $10-million option. But Anderson seemed to find his comfort zone as a starter more than a reliever in 2026.
As crowded as the Tigers’ rotation appears to be right now — even after trading free-agents-to-be Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize in August as the team tumbled out of contention — Harris also left open the possibility of finding starting-pitching additions, as well. Their starters include Framber Valdez, Troy Melton, Keider Montero, Anderson, Jackson Jobe and River Ryan (acquired in the Skubal trade), as well as Reese Olson, who is expected back after missing the entire 2026 season with shoulder surgery. Any rotation additions wouldn’t seem likely to be on long-term deals. (In other words, don’t hold your breath on a Tarik Skubal reunion.)
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“We like the group of young starters that are coming up through the minor leagues,” Harris said. “We also like the young starters that are in the big leagues.
“We’ve gotta make sure we build the right bridge between those two groups.”
MLB free-agency is likely to pick the pace in the coming days, ahead of a likely lockout when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1. When the lockout commences — and there has been zero indication that the sides are closer to a deal, as owners again push for a salary cap — negotiations between teams and players will cease.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers’ Scott Harris lays out top priority as free-agency gets moving
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