The Tigers have agreed to a one-year deal with Emilio Pagán in the $11 million range, a move that gives Detroit a proven late-inning arm as it tries to steady a bullpen that leaked games all season. Pagán, who turned down a $10 million player option with Cincinnati before reaching this agreement, is the latest answer to a problem the Tigers could not ignore any longer.
Detroit was looking for exactly this kind of pitcher. Scott Harris said he wanted a right-handed leverage reliever who could improve the team’s strikeout ability, and Pagán fits that description better than most available arms. He struck out 25.9% of the batters he faced this year and owns a 28% strikeout rate for his career, a cleaner fit for a Tigers bullpen that ranked 19th in strikeout rate and 21st in whiffs while the club led the American League with 31 blown saves.
That need grew sharper as the season wore on. Kenley Jansen opened in the closer’s role but did not hold it, and Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan both finished the year on the injured list. Vest had surgeries on an elbow stress reaction and on his hip, though Harris said he is throwing and should be ready for the start of next season. Finnegan, who is signed for $10.25 million including an option buyout, missed the final couple weeks with a left groin strain. Detroit is also better positioned from the left side with Drew Sommers and Tyler Holton, which made the right-handed market the obvious place to shop.
Pagán arrives with some recent durability questions, even after a strong finish. He missed seven weeks between early May and the end of June with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and said, “I initially expected it to end my season.” He had a 6.43 ERA over his first 14 innings, then returned to throw 28 2/3 innings of 1.88 ERA ball, struck out 30.5% of opponents and walked 4.5%, allowing only five runs after the break, all on homers.
That finish helps explain why Detroit moved quickly after he declined his $10 million option in Cincinnati. Over the last two years, Pagán worked as Terry Francona’s closer, saved 32 games a year ago and went 25-28 in save chances this season. The Tigers are getting him for his seventh big league club and his age-36 season, and while he is the favorite to handle the ninth inning, that job is not locked in yet. For now, Detroit has bought itself a higher strikeout rate and a clearer plan for the back end than it had a day ago.
