The Detroit Tigers headed into the offseason as a team that was expected to make some big moves in order to address their bullpen woes from the second half and into the postseason.
Though adding Kyle Finnegan at the trade deadline was one of their very few solid moves, Finnegan now becomes a free agent and an already thin group of relievers gets even weaker. Reporting has been all over the place as to the type of relievers Detroit would pursue, from the very top of the line to bargain hunting once again.
One name who the Tigers were linked to however came off the board this weekend when now former St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets closer Ryan Helsley signed with the Baltimore Orioles. At the price he went for — $28 million over two years — perhaps fans are glad Helsley didn’t come to the Motor City.
While Detroit may have dodged a bullet on Helsley, it’s an early indicator that the free agent market for relief help is not going to be cheap.
Tigers Will Have to Pay Premium in Order to Acquire Bullpen Help
Helsley’s massive contract, which will pay him nearly $15 million annually, comes on the heels of a season that was arguably the worst of his career and a stretch with the Mets after being traded there, where he was absolutely dreadful.
Down the stretch for New York, the two-time All-Star posted a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP with a -0.9 bWAR over just 22 appearances. He was not terrible for the Cardinals prior to the trade, but seeing Helsley get paid like this coming off a stretch where he didn’t even look like a big league pitcher is a sign of the market.
If Helsley gets this kind of money, what does someone like Finnegan or other Detroit targets receive?
Tigers May Have to Look in Next Tier of Relief Market
For Helsley, he has a resume that includes being arguably the best closer in baseball as recently as 2024. Perhaps Baltimore felt 2025 was more of an outlier after the right-hander had a 2.04 ERA and a big league leading 49 saves, and this of course contributed to the contract.
With that being said though, Helsley is going to obviously get paid less than the likes of Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez, meaning options like these are probably out the window for Detroit.
Someone like Devin Williams, who may have gone for a reasonable number after an ugly season, is now instantly in higher demand and has an extremely expensive market.
Moving forward, the Tigers may be better served looking at someone like Hoby Milner, Kenley Jansen, or even names that are lower down the list in terms of expected deals.
The market has been set by Helsley’s huge contract, and based on the way Detroit has operated in recent years, that market likely takes them out of the running for the top names available.
How president of baseball operations Scott Harris responds from here could dictate the direction of the rest of the offseason, and ultimately the 2026 season as well.
