Kenley

Jansen

The 38-year-old hurler needed just 12 pitches to retire the Jays in order in the second inning, getting a pair of whiffs and posting a CSW of 25 percent. The velocity on his cutter was down a bit from his 2025 average, sitting at 91.6 mph (-1.2 mph), but that’s not unusual for his first outing of the spring. If that trend sticks through the end of March though, it could be worrisome.

“I think we can pretty much guess how it’s going to go, given that one of them a historic number of saves on his resume,” Hinch said while discussing the ninth on Tiger Territory. Jansen has said he wasn’t promised anything ahead of signing with the Tigers in December, but he has, of course, been a full-time closer since 2012, and he’s fourth all-time with 476 saves. The primary alternatives in the ninth would be Will Vest, who had 23 saves for the Tigers last season, and Kyle Finnegan, who has 112 career saves.

Jansen will make $9 million next season and then receive either $12 million or a $2 million buyout in 2027. The 38-year-old figures to open up as the Tigers’ primary closer, with Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest taking on setup roles. There’s always the chance age finally starts setting in here — he did finish with a career-low 24.4% strikeout rate last season — but he’s never disappointed yet.

Detroit continues fortifying their high-leverage mix with Jansen joining Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest as ninth-inning options for manager A.J. Hinch. The 38-year-old veteran enters next season just 24 saves shy of the 500 mark after converting 29 chances to accompany a strong 2.59 ERA — 3.98 FIP — and 24.4 percent strikeout rate across 59 innings for the Angels this past season. It’s a phenomenal landing spot from a fantasy perspective as Jansen projects as the clear favorite to handle closing duties with Finnegan and Vest positioned as contingency plans rather than true competition.

There had been some thought that the Tigers would pull back on their interest after bringing Finnegan back, but it looks like they are set on bolstering their bullpen as much as possible. The Angels have also been linked to bringing the 38-year-old right-hander back for another season. With the relief pitching market in full swing at the moment, Jansen could find a landing spot sooner rather than later.

Alexander specifies that the Tigers are actively interested in adding Jansen to their bullpen, while the Angels “have also checked in on Jansen.” The 38-year-old notched 29 saves last season for the Angels with a 2.59 ERA in 59 innings. His underlying metrics were not quite as kind, and the strikeout upside isn’t what it was before, but Jansen has remained a solid late-inning reliever. The Tigers are also interested in Kyle Finnegan, so they seem intent on adding a right-handed closer to pair with Will Vest.

In a game that the Astros desperately needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive after both the Tigers and Guardians lost, they blew a 3-0 lead and went into the ninth trailing by a run. Jansen made sure that there would be no dramatic comeback, striking out Jesus Sanchez, Ramon Urias and Mauricio Dubon in succession to close it out. The 37-year-old hurler now boasts a 2.59 ERA and a 57/19 K/BB ratio over 59 innings on the season while converting 29 saves.

Jansen struck out two in his 475th career save. He’s having his worst season in terms of strikeout rate and FIP, but with a 2.64 ERA and just one blown save in 29 chances, he shouldn’t have any trouble landing another closing gig next season.

Jansen has routinely skipped series in Colorado due to his heart condition in recent years and with the Angels having nothing to play for at this stage of the season there’s no reason for him to risk it by going there. Look for Luis Garcia to potentially fill in should the Angels have a lead to protect in the ninth inning over the weekend.

Jansen has turned in six straight hitless and scoreless appearances. It might be a tall order with 17 games remaining, but five more saves this season would give him 479 for his career and move him past Trevor Hoffman for third place on the all-time list.