Detroit Tigers Offseason: Assessing and Fixing the Bullpen

Coming off of a fourth straight whiff at a World Series title, the Detroit Tigers have numerous issues that need addressing during the coming offseason. The bullpen, and to a lesser extent the bench, cost Detroit a shot at advancing in the playoffs during Brad Ausmus’ inaugural season.

Baltimore, like Boston before them, exposed Detroit with an inexplicably deep lineup and an equally deep and potent core of relief pitchers. Not only did the Orioles’ strengths expose Detroit, but the O’s also exploited the Tigers’ biggest weaknesses—the bullpen.

Bullpen

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On paper, Detroit’s bullpen looks good—or, at the very least, better than the unconvincing job they did in the regular season and the awful display turned in against Baltimore.

There are positives in the fact that key members of the bullpen like Joe Nathan and Joakim Soria achieved great success pitching for other teams before arriving in Motown. In other words, there’s reason to believe their struggles won’t continue next season.

Other pitchers such as Blaine Hardy, Evan Reed and Ian Krol all showed flashes of being reliable relievers at the Major League level, but all are still relatively early in their careers. The experience they gained this year should help them moving forward.

Outside of those three, the Tigers have two other young pitchers coming off of injuries who could help the team. Bruce Rondon and Luke Putkonen missed significant time last season due to injuries. Both should be ready to contribute in 2015.

Another injured pitcher who could contribute, should Dave Dombrowski and the front office choose to bring him back, is Joel Hanrahan.

Like Rondon, the former Pittsburgh Pirates closer missed the year due to complications from Tommy John surgery. If he can get healthy, Hanrahan could be a big part of the Tigers bullpen next year. A nine-game rough patch in Boston is the only reason to believe Hanrahan won’t be an impact reliever again.

Yet another soon-to-be free agent the front office will have to make a decision on is Joba Chamberlain.

The bearded wonder had a solid, but not spectacular debut season in Detroit that was punctuated by struggles down the stretch and a dreadful time of it in two ALDS appearances. If Chamberlain is retained, along with longstanding Tigers Phil Coke and Al Alburquerque, then Brad Ausmus will have the foundation of a solid bullpen.

However, they could use new blood. For all the potential and ability to rebound, this year’s group simply didn’t cut it. Detroit will need new relievers if it wants to win a World Series.

Luckily for the Tigers’ decision-makers, there are numerous quality relievers available. With Joe Nathan penciled in as the team’s closer, the club probably won’t look for an upgrade there.

Nevertheless, having multiple players with closing experience isn’t a bad thing. David Robertson and Koji Uehara are just two of the closers who are available. And while neither will likely take a non-closing role, a player like Huston Street or Jason Grilli could fit as a setup man.

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Regardless of whether or not the Tigers target a player with closing experience, they will be in the market for new relievers. Andrew Miller is a hand-in-glove fit for what the bullpen needs, while other relievers like Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson are also good fits.

The one downside to signing all of these names is that they will be expensive. The going rate for a top-notch reliever seems to be continually increasing. Because payroll will be needed to attempt to re-sign Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter and possibly Max Scherzer, Detroit can’t put all of its money into relievers.

Therefore, the scrap heap will need to be thoroughly searched. Free agents like David Carpenter, Dane De La Rosa and Josh Outman are cheap alternatives to signing a bundle of elite relievers.   

Despite great starting pitching and an explosive lineup, the bullpen has always been the Tigers’ weak spot. Going all the way back to Jose Valverde’s implosion, continuing with the gut-wrenching defeat to Boston and culminating in the exacerbating affair in Baltimore, the bullpen issues have been ever-apparent. 

If fixed, the bullpen could push the Tigers over the hump and into the promised land of World Series winners.