Detroit Tigers: Five Ways to Improve the Team in 2017

A Better Bullpen

A consistent weakness for the Tigers over the last several seasons has been their bullpen, which has simply not performed at the same level as the rest of the team.

In 2016, Detroit relievers posted a 4.22 ERA. That ranked 13th in the American League. Similarly, only the Twins and Rangers had a higher opponents’ batting average. Batters hit .260 against the Tigers’ bullpen this season.

With an offense as potent as the Tigers’, opposing teams know that no lead is safe in the late innings. Unfortunately, teams also know that late-inning deficits against Detroit can be easily overcome. If the Tigers decide that they aren’t able to afford another year of Francisco Rodriguez, they’ll be in an even worse situation.

Although general manager Al Avila has already stated that the Tigers don’t expect to be active participants in free agent bidding this season, the bullpen is one area that they should consider making an exception to that rule.

Trading an outfielder like Maybin or Martinez for relief help could work, but a better idea would be to use the money freed up through trades to acquire some of the quality arms on the free agent market. While this isn’t an especially great free agent class, it is strong when it comes to closers and setup men.

One possible target could be Brad Ziegler. The right-hander is quietly one of the most consistent relievers in the game, having averaged a 2.44 ERA over nearly 600 career innings. He’s surprisingly affordable, having earned just $5.5 million last season. Ziegler will be 37 years old in 2017, so the Tigers may be able to sign him to a similarly priced deal.