Compared to 2023, the Detroit Tigers bullpen appears to be in much better form. With Shelby Miller and Andrew Chafin joining the team, this pen should be far more effective than it was a season ago.
You can always improve, though. Scott Harris has acknowledged as much. Although this bullpen appears to be strong on paper, there is always room for improvement Shelby Miller.
Why not enhance it by using the greatest reliever now on the market?
I should start by noting that I think there is extremely little chance that the Detroit Tigers will sign Josh Hader. Though I don’t think they do, it’s not impossible because they could if they really wanted to. Later on, I’ll discuss the reasons why.
Oh my, though, if Hader could be signed by the Tigers. In that case, this bullpen would rank among the best in the league.
Since 2017, Hader has dominated the majority of the time. Horrible, he has a career K/9 over 15. He has occasionally struggled with walks, but over the past few seasons, he has been among the finest left-handed relievers in baseball, if not the best.
He had a tremendous comeback last season following a difficult 2022. In 56.1 IP, he recorded 33 saves, 13.58 K/9, and a 1.28 ERA.
Perhaps Hader’s greatest quality is his versatility. It’s not a must that he be the closer. He was occasionally used by the Brewers as a multi-inning shutdown reliever. In 2018, he threw 81.1 innings while only managing 12 saves. He may be used anytime A.J. Hinch sees fit, which is how he prefers to deploy his relievers.
Hader would add a third lefty to the Tigers’ roster, joining Tyler Holton and Chafin. That’s a respectable selection of southpaws for their repertoire.
Hader would also bring a ton of depth to this bullpen. The Tigers would also have Jason Foley, Alex Lange, Will Vest, Miller, Chafin, and Holton in addition to Hader. To round out the roster, the team might add Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Miguel Diaz, or Brendan White. That’s a fairly deep bullpen when the final position is the only one with a question mark.
The Tigers bullpen would be greatly enhanced with the signing of Josh Hader. However, it’s probably not taking place.
To start, Hader is supposedly looking for a contract bigger than Edwin Diaz’s deal that the Mets signed him to previous winter. For those who don’t know, following the 2022 season, Diaz inked a five-year, $102 million contract with New York. That’s around $20 million annually for a pitcher who will only play in 70–75 games. I mean, I’m the “spend money” person, and that’s not exactly wise spending.
It’s likely that Harris holds the same opinion. It is extremely dangerous to give a relief pitcher a big salary, especially because relievers vary so much from season to season. After all, in 2022, Hader’s ERA was 5.22. Although he was outstanding in almost every other season, that one poor year does stand out and might happen again.
Although it’s not likely, I would love to see Josh Hader in the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen for the next five years or so. Still, we have the ability to dream.
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