The Detroit Tigers made it their mission to bolster their bullpen during the 2025 season. They acquired Cody Heuer, Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald, and Kyle Finnegan ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.
Now, all four relievers are on the open market as free agents. And with rapidly declining relief options by the day, Detroit must act fast if they want to lock down a formidable relief pitcher.
It was just announced that the Baltimore Orioles had struck a deal with Ryan Helsley. Raisel Iglesias also signed a contract to return to the Atlanta Braves last week.
Tigers looking to re-sign former All-Star reliever, feeling is mutual
Kyle Finnegan thrived during his short time in Detroit. He appeared in 16 games, compiling a 1.50 ERA across 18 innings of work, while making four saves.
He is somebody the front office would love to see return. Detroit's GM Jeff Greenberg spoke about the team's interest in signing Finnegan at the GM meetings last week, via the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold.
"We loved having Kyle. He deserves all of the credit in the world for being as open-minded as he was to making those adjustments and embracing the roles that we put him in and his impact in the clubhouse. For all of those reasons, we have interest in bringing him back."
Detroit would love to see the 2024 All-Star back in its bullpen, and according to an interview after Game 5 of the ALDS, Finnegan would love to return.
"I loved every second of my time here. Hopefully, the feeling is mutual."
However, even if the feeling is mutual, there is no guarantee that he will return. With his performance this past season, he should receive a ton of interest from other teams. If Detroit really wants to secure their guy, they are going to have to show him how much he means to the organisation and open up their pockets.
More MLB news:
- Giants urged to consider trading away their top prospect this winter
- Astros' projected Opening Day lineup following Mauricio Dubon trade
- Tigers' projected Opening Day lineup looks like a 2025 rerun
- Phillies fans should feel confident with this projected Opening Day lineup
- Yankees' projected Opening Day lineup should excite the fanbase