It was a brutal campaign for the 2026 Detroit Tigers. They entered Opening Day with realistic sights set on the AL Pennant, with the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal, to complement a pretty dang good offense.

The Tigers were riding high with expectations and instead became sellers at the trade deadline, where they dealt away both Skubal and Casey Mize. So, it seems safe to say that the front office will definitely need to add a starter or two, but that wasn't the reason that this team ended the year 10 games under .500.

More often than not, when Detroit lost a game, it wasn't because the offense fell flat or the starters didn't do their job. Instead, it was the fact that there was not a single reliever in the circle of trust, which is lowlighted by 29 blown saves; something that they could not overcome.

One of the biggest eye sores that was in the bullpen was the demise of Kyle Finnegan, who, over his three previous seasons, had a minimum of 24 saves. It was a totally different tale in 2026, as he blew 10 of his 12 save opportunities.

But Finnegan wasn't the only problem as most had more blown saves than actual recorded ones. That is a huge issue. A team that had a +71 run differential should never have ended up where they did, and for context, the top three ballclubs in run differential all made the playoffs.

General manager Jeff Greenberg will have to add some depth to the starting rotation, but if he ignores what went on with his relievers during 2026, then they will once again be sitting on their couches when October comes around.

The Best Free Agent Available That They Should Aggressively Pursue

This will be the first time that New York Yankees reliever David Bednar will be an unrestricted free agent and he is coming off a $9 million, one-year deal with the Yankees. Trust me, he was worth every penny, and that number will go up with numerous teams looking to sign him.

Bednar just finished the best season of his career posting a 2.47 ERA to complement a 1.04 WHIP and 35 saves. Then, when someone looks at his postseason stats, it gets even more impressive, as he has a career 1.29 ERA.

The Tigers are desperate for a high-leverage arm that they can count on no matter how high the stakes are. That is Bednar, and Greenberg should definitely be trying to get him in a Detroit jersey in 2027.