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Cubs, Giants, Angels, Tigers Among Teams Interested In Zac Gallen

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TODAY: Both The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale expanded on Feinsand’s link between Gallen and the Cubs, writing that Chicago indeed has interest in the free agent.  Giving up draft compensation to sign Gallen isn’t a deal-breaker for the team, Mooney notes, as the Cubs have shown interest in other players (i.e. Ranger Suarez, Michael King) who rejected qualifying offers.

DECEMBER 5: Right-hander Zac Gallen didn’t have the platform season he envisioned heading into free agency, but the former Cy Young finalist and All-Star nevertheless turned down a qualifying offer from the D-backs and hit the open market last month. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants have had conversations with Gallen’s camp (video link). MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds the Angels and Tigers to the list of teams with interest in Gallen. He also indicates that the Orioles, Cubs and Braves have at least looked into Gallen. Meanwhile, John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports recently suggested a D-backs reunion was unlikely.

Gallen, who turned 30 in August, struggled through four brutal months to begin the 2025 season but ended with a flourish. Through the time of the trade deadline, the right-hander was lugging a 5.60 ERA toward the finish line. That ugly ERA came despite roughly average strikeout and walk rates (22.1% and 8.6%, respectively). He was getting hammered by the long ball, yielding 23 homers in his first 127 frames of the season (1.63 HR/9).

From August onward, Gallen looked more like his typical self. His strikeout rate dipped two percentage points, to a below-average 20.3%, but his walk rate improved to 7.1%. Most importantly, he cut back on the home runs. Gallen yielded just eight round-trippers in his final 65 innings — a rate of 1.11 per nine innings, which falls far more closely in line with his career mark (1.05).

Even with a 3.32 earned run average over his final 11 starts, Gallen closed out the year with an unsightly 4.83 ERA overall. It’s not a strong mark, but Gallen and Boras are surely hoping that track record and impeccable durability will carry his market. Gallen started 33 games in 2025 and is tied with Jose Berrios for the fourth-most starts in MLB (126) dating back to 2022. His 734 innings rank third in the sport during that time, trailing only Logan Webb and Framber Valdez. Gallen has only been on the major league injured list three times in his career — a pair of short stints due to hamstring strains in 2024 and 2021 and a month-long IL stay for a mild elbow sprain back in ’21.

The Giants are a sensible fit. They’re looking for rotation help but not keen on handing out the type of six- and seven-year deals we’ll see for many of the market’s top names. Giants brass has seen him more than most pitchers over the years, as an ultra-durable stalwart in a division rival’s rotation. President of baseball operations Buster Posey even personally faced Gallen eight times, going 2-for-6 with a pair of walks and a home run.

San Francisco has the aforementioned Webb atop the rotation and signed through 2028. No. 2 starter Robbie Ray is signed only through the 2026 season. Right-hander Landen Roupp positioned himself for a rotation spot with a nice showing through 22 starts in his age-26 season. Other candidates at the moment include Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt, Blade Tidwell, Kai-Wei Teng, Trevor McDonald and Carson Seymour. It’s a fine collection of depth, but there’s also plenty of uncertainty (hence the focus on rotation upgrades).

Gallen wouldn’t need to be the Giants’ ace but would give them a reliable source of innings and a big track record on which to dream. The Giants’ projected payroll, per RosterResource, is a bit under $169MM. That’s right about the same level at which they opened the 2025 season, but Giants ownership has topped $200MM payrolls in the past — even as recently as 2024. There’s room to add to the budget.

The Angels’ projected payroll is in a near-identical spot to that of the Giants, but the Angels trotted out a $203MM Opening Day mark just this past season. Mike Trout and Yusei Kikuchi are the only players signed beyond the 2026 season, and only Trout is signed beyond 2027.

In Anaheim, Gallen would join a rotation currently fronted by Kikuchi and Jose Soriano. Beyond that duo, the Angels are likely to give former top prospect Reid Detmers, who had a strong season in the bullpen in ’25, another look in the rotation next season. They’ve also acquired Grayson Rodriguez from the Orioles and signed Alek Manoah to a one-year deal this winter. Former top prospect Caden Dana headlines the depth options — a group also including Mitch Farris, Sam Aldegheri, Walbert Urena, Jack Kochanowicz and prospect George Klassen, who has not yet been added to the 40-man roster. There are some talented arms in the mix, but as with the Giants, the Halos simply lack stability behind a pair of generally established veterans atop the rotation.

Over in Detroit, the Tigers have some more stability but less depth. Having the best pitcher on the planet on the roster is a nice start, of course, and the Tigers can follow Tarik Skubal with Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Reese Olson and sophomore Troy Melton. Adding Gallen would push Melton to the top depth option, presumably in Triple-A, alongside Keider Montero, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Ty Madden and prospect Jaden Hamm (not yet on the 40-man roster).

The Tigers have one of the cleanest long-term payroll sheets of any club in MLB. Javier Baez’s six-year contract runs through 2027. He and Colt Keith — playing on a six-year, $28.6425MM extension — are the only two players guaranteed anything beyond the 2026 season. Adding Gallen would give the Tigers some 2026 stability and protect them in the event that Skubal, Flaherty and/or Mize all depart in free agency next winter.

The other clubs listed by Feinsand are all known to be in the market for rotation help, too, so none of the bunch is particularly surprising. It’d be out of character for the Braves to sign Gallen, unless his market collapses and he signs a short-term pillow deal (either one year or two years with an opt-out). Atlanta hasn’t given more than $30MM to a free agent starting pitcher under president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. The Orioles are likely searching for ceiling over stability, so unless they’re confident they can get Gallen back to his 2022-23 form, he’s probably not Plan A or B in Baltimore. The Cubs are already counting on one bounceback from a notable starter (Shota Imanaga), though Gallen fits the spending profile they’ve pursued in offseasons more than the other names at the top of the market.

Even coming off a down year, Gallen will likely find a multi-year pact. Even if he prefers to bet on himself with a shorter-term deal, he’s precisely the type of former All-Star for whom the Boras Corporation has frequently negotiated two-year deals with opt-out pacts. We predicted a four-year deal for Gallen on our annual ranking of the sport’s Top 50 free agents, believing that the market will value his durability and track record enough to get him paid nicely — albeit not to the extent he’d have enjoyed coming off a more typical season. Gallen will presumably be presented a variety of contract structures, many of which will have opt-out opportunities or convoluted multi-year player and club options alike. The deal he ultimately accepts will hinge on his personal level of risk aversion.

Tigers Have Shown Interest In Brad Keller As Starter

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The Tigers are among the teams that have expressed interest in free agent righty Brad Keller as a starting pitcher, Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press wrote this afternoon. That report preceded Detroit’s agreement with swingman Drew Anderson, but it’s unlikely a one-year deal with a pitcher who hasn’t appeared in MLB since 2021 would take them out of the mix for starting pitching.

Keller is coming off a breakout year working out of the Cubs bullpen. The 30-year-old righty fired 69 2/3 innings of 2.07 ERA ball. He emerged as Craig Counsell’s most trusted leverage arm by the end of the season. Keller recorded 25 holds and a trio of saves while relinquishing just three leads all year. He was fantastic in the second half, allowing one run while striking out 35 hitters across 27 2/3 frames. He picked up two more saves and a hold while tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the playoffs.

While the underlying metrics weren’t quite so dominant, Keller posted solid peripherals across the board. He punched out 27.2% of opponents against a manageable 8% walk rate. Keller got ground-balls at a 56.5% clip, the 10th-highest rate among relievers with 50+ innings. The only slight area of concern was a modest 10.8% swinging strike rate that checked in a little below the 11.5% league average.

Keller’s performance was obviously going to have plenty of teams interested in him as a reliever. As we noted on our writeup of the Top 50 Free Agents, it made sense that some clubs would view him as a rotation conversion candidate. Keller has plenty of starting experience. He was a starter for most of his six seasons as a member of the Royals. The 6’5″ righty found some early-career success as a grounder specialist at the back of the K.C. rotation.

His numbers tanked between 2021-23, and he underwent surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome before the ’24 campaign. Keller didn’t find much success in limited MLB looks with the White Sox and Red Sox that year. He was forced to settle for a minor league contract with the Cubs last winter. Keller looked rejuvenated in a relief role, earning a roster spot out of camp and pitching his way to the top of the bullpen hierarchy before long.

While the thoracic outlet surgery could give some clubs trepidation, there’s reason for optimism if he does return to starting. He has continued to use a five-pitch mix out of the bullpen. He had no issues handling left-handed hitters this year, holding them to a .223/.293/.277 slash with a 26% strikeout rate over 123 plate appearances. Keller doesn’t have pristine command but has shown good enough control to work into the middle innings as a starter. While he obviously wouldn’t maintain this past season’s 97.2 MPH average fastball velocity in longer stints, it’s not unreasonable to imagine him sitting 94-95 over five-plus innings.

MLBTR predicted Keller for a three-year, $36MM contract. That baked in the possibility that he could sign somewhere as a starter. ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote this morning that Keller indeed seems on track to pull a three-year deal. The Tigers have yet to sign a free agent for more than two seasons under fourth-year president of baseball operations Scott Harris.

Keller would nevertheless fit their general operating procedure of targeting the middle tiers of free agency. Detroit has also been linked to Michael King and Zac Gallen and have been more loosely floated as a potential Ranger Suárez suitor. They also reportedly kicked the tires on a reliever to starter move with Ryan Helsley, but he’s off the board on a two-year deal to close for the Orioles.

The rotation currently lines up with Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize in the top four spots. Rookie Troy Melton is probably the in-house favorite for the fifth starter role. He’d compete with Anderson, Keider Montero and Sawyer Gipson-Long for that job. They can certainly use another starter, and Keller would have the fallback to pitch in high-leverage relief if he doesn’t win a rotation spot out of camp.

Astros, Orioles Among Clubs Interested In Ranger Suárez

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Left-hander Ranger Suárez is one of the top free agent starting pitchers still available. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Astros, Cubs and Orioles are the clubs most likely to pluck him away from the Philadelphia, though the Phillies remain in the mix. Feinsand adds that the Mets and Tigers are also involved in the southpaw’s market. Jeff Passan of ESPN adds that Suárez has long been a target of Houston and Baltimore.

Suárez, 30, has been pretty consistent in terms of his results in recent years. He’s generally been able to combine decent strikeout and walk rates with strong ground ball numbers. However, he also has some question marks since his velocity isn’t huge by modern standards and some injuries have prevented him from being a workhorse.

Over the past four seasons, Suárez has tossed 588 1/3 innings for the Phillies, allowing 3.59 earned runs per nine. He punched out 21.9% of batters faced in that time and gave out walks at a 7.5% pace, both marks being close to typical league averages. His 50.8% ground ball rate in that span was quite strong.

He has spent at least some time on the injured list in each of those campaigns. Back problems are a recurring issue but there was also an elbow strain and a hamstring strain mixed in. Due to those injury setbacks, he has never hit the 160-inning mark in any season of his career. As for the velocity, he was able to average in the 93-94 mile per hour range with his fastball a few years ago. However, over the past two seasons, he’s been in the 91-92 mph range.

It’s not a perfect profile but Suárez is still one of the better arms out there. At the beginning of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Suárez could secure a five-year, $115MM deal. He was the fourth starting pitcher on the list, behind Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Tatsuya Imai. Cease has signed with the Blue Jays but Valdez, Imai and Suárez remain three of the most attractive starting pitchers available. Suárez rejected a qualifying offer from the Phillies, meaning any other team that signs him would be subject to the associated penalties.

Valdez is a fairly similar pitcher, since he’s also a ground ball guy, but he edges past Suárez for a few reasons. Though he’s two years older, he’s been more durable. While Suárez has never got to 160 innings, Valdez got to at least 176 in each of the past four seasons, including three with at least 192 frames. His ground ball rate is usually in the 60% range, about 10 points ahead of Suárez. His velocity has also been a few ticks above Suárez of late. MLBTR predicted Valdez for $150MM over five years.

The Astros just lost Valdez to free agency and need help in the rotation due to a large number of injuries. They seem to have a tight budget, with an apparent desire to avoid the competitive balance tax. It therefore makes sense that they might look to pivot to Suárez as a way to effectively replace Valdez at a discount.

RosterResource has Houston’s CBT number around $220MM, putting them roughly $24MM below next year’s base threshold of the tax. Signing Suárez would likely put them right up against the line but they could also create some more room by trading someone like Jake Meyers, Jesús Sánchez or Christian Walker.

Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias has publicly admitted that the club is looking for a front-of-rotation starter to slot next to Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish. They have generally avoided big splashes on the pitching side. They also needed rotation help last year and ended up giving one-year deals to Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano, relatively older guys without much upside. It’s possible they make a bolder strike this offseason, having been connected to Imai, Valdez and others.

The Cubs are also known to be on the lookout for rotation upgrades. They have a number of decent arms already on the roster but clearly want to raise the ceiling by adding a playoff-caliber arm. They were interested in Cease before he came off the board and have also been connected to Imai, Michael King and others.

RosterResource has them less than $50MM away from the tax line, which they have generally tried not to cross in recent years. They could also consider a big offensive upgrade, such as going after Alex Bregman. Getting both a big-name starter and Bregman could push them close to that line.

The Tigers have a big ace in Tarik Skubal but could upgrade the group behind him. As of now, Reese Olson, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty are his best supports but the club could get an external upgrade and bump each of those guys down a peg. They haven’t been signing top free agents for a while but the tier below seems possible. They have been connected to King and now Suárez this offseason.

The Mets dealt with a lot of rotation injuries in 2025, forcing them to rely on rookies Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat. There’s talent there but the club clearly wants to make additions after a narrow playoff miss. They have been connected to Imai as well as Joe Ryan of the Twins.

They have a lot of moving parts in their offseason. Acquiring Marcus Semien might push Jeff McNeil to the trade block. They also might want to flip out Kodai Senga as they also add to the rotation. They may or may not re-sign Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz. They also might be in the markets for Cody Bellinger and other free agents.

As for the Phillies, they could try to bring back Suárez but it might not be their priority right now. Zack Wheeler may miss the beginning of the season due to thoracic outlet syndrome surgery but it’s possible he can rejoin the club fairly early in the campaign. Once back, he would slot into the rotation with Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter.

The Phils could bolster that group but they also have other things on the to-do list. They want to re-sign Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto while also remaking their outfield. Amid all of that, it’s possible one of these other clubs has a chance to lure Suárez away.

Photo courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images

Cubs, Tigers Have Renewed Interest In Alex Bregman

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The Cubs are again showing interest in Alex Bregman, report Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of The New York Post writes that the Tigers are back in the mix, along with the incumbent Red Sox.

Those three teams were the final suitors for Bregman last offseason. Detroit reportedly put forth a six-year, $171.5MM offer — albeit with deferred money that would have reduced the net present value — with an opt-out after the second season. The Cubs offered a four-year contract which various reports put at either $115MM or $120MM that included opt-out chances after the second and third season.

Bregman opted for the shortest deal to get back to the market, accepting a three-year guarantee from Boston with outs after the first two years. He made $40MM (half of it deferred) and triggered the opt-out after one season with the Sox. His market won’t be impacted by the qualifying offer this time around. He’ll turn 32 just after Opening Day and could take aim at another six-year deal.

Detroit’s continued interest is expected. They’re still managed by A.J. Hinch, his longtime skipper with the Astros. Zach McKinstry was a surprise All-Star this year, but his numbers tanked in the second half. The Tigers would be better off with him in a utility role, perhaps taking the majority of the shortstop reps from Javier Báez until top prospect Kevin McGonigle arrives. They could use Colt Keith as a left-handed complement to Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres on the right side of the infield, while mixing him in at designated hitter when Kerry Carpenter plays right field.

The fit is a little more difficult on the Cubs, especially if Bregman commands a long-term deal. That’d squeeze out former first-round pick Matt Shaw, who is coming off a reasonably impressive rookie season. Shaw’s overall .226/.295/.394 line is subpar, but he settled in after struggling in his initial looks at big league pitching. Shaw got out to a horrible start but was a league average hitter after being recalled from Triple-A in the middle of May. That includes a .258/.317/.522 showing in the second half, although he slumped a bit in the final month after a huge August.

Shaw impressed defensively, especially later in the season. The Cubs could justify giving him the third base job and hoping for continued improvements at the plate. It wasn’t such an overwhelming debut that it takes them completely out of the running on Bregman, however. Shaw ranked in the bottom 10 percent of qualified hitters in average exit velocity and hard contact rate. He doesn’t have huge bat speed, so there’s no guarantee he’ll be the 20-25 homer threat that Bregman has been over his career.

It still seems likely the Cubs will prioritize adding a mid-rotation or better starter. They reportedly made a run at Dylan Cease and are involved in the bidding for NPB pitcher Tatsuya Imai. A pursuit of Framber Valdez or Ranger Suárez would be logical. RosterResource calculates their luxury tax number around $197MM, which puts them $35MM shy of this past season’s mark. They’re nearly $50MM below the base tax threshold.

Signing Bregman and a #2 starter would probably put them into tax territory, and it’s not clear if ownership would approve that kind of spending. They could address the rotation on the trade market, though, and Shaw would be a quality piece to dangle in talks if they upgrade at third base. They could also use him off the bench in a utility role with the long-term plan of moving him to second base once Nico Hoerner reaches free agency next offseason.

Tigers Have Interest In Michael King

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The Tigers have expressed interest in free agent starter Michael King, reports Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free-Press. King has also been tied to the Yankees, Cubs, Blue Jays and Marlins — though the latter two teams are unlikely fits. Toronto is probably done adding to the rotation now that they’ve agreed to a three-year deal with Cody Ponce. Miami has bigger priorities on the infield and in the bullpen and always seemed a long shot to spend at this level.

King is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he was limited to 15 starts. A nerve issue in his throwing shoulder proved a lot more irritating than initially expected and wound up costing him two and a half months. He also had a minimal injured list stint due to knee inflammation. King looked shaky when he returned in September, allowing 10 runs with a modest 11:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 15 2/3 innings.

That adds some risk to his first career trip through free agency. A fully healthy version of King is one of the best pitchers in MLB, though. He finished seventh in NL Cy Young balloting during the 2024 season. King turned in a 2.95 earned run average across 173 2/3 innings in his first full season as a big league starter. He was out to an even better start this year, working to a 2.59 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate over 10 appearances before the nerve injury.

There wasn’t any structural damage. King finished the season healthy, though the Padres didn’t trust him enough to start over Yu Darvish in an elimination game in the Wild Card Series. They were content to make him a qualifying offer, which probably would not have been the case if they felt the injury might impact him in 2026. King rejected in search of a multi-year contract. He’s generally not expected to return to San Diego.

The Tigers are in the market for starting and relief help. They don’t have a clear #2 starter behind Tarik Skubal. That’d probably fall to Reese Olson, but he missed the final two months of 2025 to a shoulder strain. Jack Flaherty is back after exercising his $20MM player option following an up-and-down year. Casey Mize pitched well overall but is more of a #3 or high-end fourth starter than someone the Tigers would want directly behind Skubal in a playoff series. Jackson Jobe won’t be available until the second half after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June.

Rookie righty Troy Melton, who pitched out of the MLB bullpen down the stretch, would probably be the fifth starter if the season opened tomorrow. Keider Montero and Sawyer Gipson-Long lead a thin collection of depth arms. Everyone from that group has minor league options and could work from the bullpen. All teams use more than five starters, so the Tigers certainly need at least one or two additions to protect against injuries.

Tigers Among Teams Interested In Pete Fairbanks

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The relief market has been the most active element of free agency so far, with Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias and Phil Maton among the most prominent names off the board thus far. Former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks has seen his name pop up frequently early on as well, drawing connections to the Marlins, Blue Jays and Dodgers. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi adds the Tigers to the list of clubs with interest in Fairbanks.

Tampa Bay’s decision to decline an $11MM option on Fairbanks was a moderate surprise. He’d just wrapped up his healthiest season and has been a quality ’pen arm for Rays skipper Kevin Cash dating back to 2020. Since that shortened season, the 31-year-old Fairbanks (32 in two weeks) sports a collective 2.87 ERA, 88 saves, 30 holds, 30.2% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. That includes a 2.83 ERA and career-high 27 saves this past season (in a career-high 60 1/3 innings).

That said, Fairbanks comes with his share of red flags. Beyond turning 32 this month, he’s seen his velocity, strikeout rate and swinging-strike rate all dip in recent seasons. He’s averaged 97.3 mph on his heater in each of the past two seasons, which is still well above average but noticeably down from the pitch’s peak average of 99 mph. Fairbanks set down nearly 35% of his opponents on strikes from 2020-23 but is at 24% over the past two years. He sat 15.1% with his swinging-strike rate from 2020-22 but is down to 11.3% in 2024-25 — roughly in line with the league average.

None of these trendlines suggest that Fairbanks is suddenly a bad reliever, but he’s not quite as dominant as he once was. He’s also missed considerable time with injury over the years. Since 2021, Fairbanks has been placed on the injured list six different times. That’s been due to a pair of lat strains, shoulder inflammation, forearm inflammation, a nerve issue and hip inflammation. This past season’s 60 1/3 innings weren’t just a career-high — they marked the first time Fairbanks has completed even 46 innings in a major league season.

For a budget-crunched club like the Rays, the $11MM price point was understandably steep. Still, many expected the team to trade Fairbanks before the option decision was due. The Rays clearly weren’t able to find a club willing to give up minor league talent and commit to an $11MM payday for Fairbanks on day one of the offseason. Tampa Bay could’ve picked up the option and tried to trade him down the line, but their early shopping of the right-hander already spelled out that they weren’t keen on paying him $11MM. Trying to trade him after picking up the option ran the risk of needing to pay down even more than the $1MM buyout Fairbanks received in order to acquire a middling return — not exactly appealing for the Rays.

Just because Fairbanks wasn’t traded doesn’t mean his eventual price point will come in under $11MM. A two-year contract remains plenty plausible, particularly if it’s at a slightly lower annual rate. Even on a two-year pact, it’s possible some clubs might now value him differently after seeing other targets come off the board and/or after freeing up payroll space with some of their own early dealings.

The Tigers are an obvious fit for Fairbanks — or for any late-inning reliever in general. Detroit saw Kyle Finnegan, Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald and Tommy Kahnle all reach free agency at season’s end. Will Vest, Tyler Holton, Brenan Hanifee and Brant Hurter all posted quality ERA marks, but Vest is the only one of that quartet who did so with a plus strikeout rate and while pitching consistently in high-leverage settings.

Detroit general manager Jeff Greenberg has already said the team will “certainly” be in the market for a bullpen arm or two. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has also publicly called out the relief corps as an area of focus. The Tigers are hoping to re-sign Finnegan, who dominated for them after coming over from the Nats at the July trade deadline, and they were reported to have interest in Williams before he agreed to a three-year, $51MM deal with the Mets last night. The Tigers are surely casting a wide net in their search for ’pen help, but there’s been enough early interest in Fairbanks that some have speculated he could sign in the relatively near future.

Tigers Interested In Re-Signing Kyle Finnegan

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Right-hander Kyle Finnegan was quick to say after the season that he enjoyed his time in Detroit after coming over in a deadline deal with the Nationals and that he’d be open to a return. Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg tells Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that the interest is mutual, citing Finnegan’s open-mindedness to the adjustments the Tigers suggested as well as his strong results and his “impact” in the clubhouse.

A year ago at this time, Finnegan was coming off a brutal finish to his 2024 season and was actually non-tendered by the Nats. Petzold reports that the Tigers had interest in him last offseason, but Finnegan opted to return to Washington on a lesser guarantee ($6MM) than his projected arbitration price — particularly when factoring in some deferred money. Finnegan bounced back with a solid first four months in D.C., but it was the trade to the Tigers that really seemed to elevate his status. New coaching and a much heavier slate of data tailored to his strengths and weaknesses coaxed a new level of performance out of Finnegan. He’s always thrown hard but never missed bats like one might expect from someone sitting 97 mph with his heater.

The Tigers had Finnegan throw his splitter at career-high rates and slightly raised the horizontal release point on both his four-seamer and splitter. He rattled off 18 innings with a 1.50 ERA, 34.8% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate. Finnegan didn’t miss many bats in the postseason but was clearly one of A.J. Hinch’s most trusted relievers both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

Detroit’s bullpen is in dire need of upgrades. Will Vest, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter and Brenan Hanifee all posted quality earned run averages, but Holton and Hanifee both logged well below-average strikeout rates. Neither Hanifee nor Hurter was used regularly in high-leverage spots. Meanwhile, veteran relievers Rafael Montero, Tommy Kahnle and Paul Sewald all hit free agency alongside Finnegan.

The Tigers have been linked to both Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley thus far in the offseason, though their interest in Helsley was reportedly as a starting pitcher and he’s since signed on as the Orioles’ new closer. President of baseball operations Scott Harris has spoken openly about a desire to improve the lineup’s contact rate, but Greenberg has publicly stated that pitching is the top priority early in the offseason. The Tigers are looking around the rotation market even after Jack Flaherty exercised his 2026 player option to return, and the GM has been frank in stating that he and Harris “certainly” need to add some quality relief arms.

Tigers Re-Sign Tanner Rainey To Minor League Contract

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The Tigers have re-signed right-hander Tanner Rainey to a minor league contract, according to Rainey’s MLB.com profile page.  Rainey returns to Motown a week after he was designated for assignment, and then cut loose at the non-tender deadline.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected that Rainey would earn $1.6MM in arbitration, so the non-tender allowed the Tigers to save some money and still bring the righty back on a non-guaranteed deal.  The terms of Rainey’s minor league pact aren’t known, but if he is selected to Detroit’s active roster, his guaranteed salary will probably clock in south of that $1.6MM estimate.

The 2025 season was a rough one for Rainey, who posted an 11.17 ERA over 9 2/3 innings and 13 appearances for the Pirates and Tigers.  Signed to a minor league deal by Pittsburgh last winter, his stint with the Bucs ended up being two stints, as he re-signed with the team again in June after he elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.  The Pirates released Rainey entirely in July, and he caught on with the Tigers shortly thereafter and spent much of his time at Triple-A Toledo, save for two games in the bigs.

Rainey (who turns 33 on Christmas Day) is a veteran of eight MLB seasons, and was a solid member of the Nationals’ bullpen earlier in his career.  Control problems plagued Rainey even in his better years, and his production has gone totally south since he missed almost all of the 2023 season recovering from a Tommy John surgery.  His 2024 season saw him post a 4.76 ERA, an uncharacteristically low 19% strikeout rate, and an ungainly 12.6% walk rate across 51 relief innings for Washington, and he showed even less during his brief time in the Show in 2025.

The right-hander’s Triple-A numbers provide some hope for optimism, as Rainey had a 2.88 ERA and 32% strikeout rate over 40 2/3 innings for the Tigers’ and Pirates’ top affiliates in 2025.  Those numbers did come alongside an outsized 13.6% walk rate, but Detroit clearly saw enough in Rainey’s performance to warrant a new contract.  There’s no risk for the Tigers in bringing Rainey to camp and letting him compete for a bullpen job, and he could end up being a hidden gem if he can recapture any of his pre-surgery form.

Tigers Among Teams Interested In Ryan Helsley As Starting Pitcher

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Ryan Helsley is drawing interest from clubs as a starting pitcher, and the Tigers are among the teams who have spoken to him about a possible move to the rotation according to a report from Ken Rosenthal, Cody Stavenhagen, and Katie Woo of The Athletic.

It’s become a trend for relievers with starting experience to garner interest for rotation jobs around the league. For players like Reynaldo Lopez, Seth Lugo, and Michael King, the move has gone incredibly well and ended in them garnering attention in Cy Young conversations. For others, like Helsley’s former teammate Jordan Hicks, the move doesn’t go quite so swimmingly. Since signing with the Giants as a starter during the 2023-24 offseason, Hicks has a 5.19 ERA across 177 innings and ultimately had his contract dumped in a trade with the Red Sox, where he served as a salary offset in the Rafael Devers deal.

The risk of an outcome like Hicks had comes with substantial reward for both player and team. For teams, signing a reliever and giving them the opportunity to start affords them a chance at a top-shelf arm at a steep bargain compared to the nine-figure contracts routinely commanded by the league’s established front-end arms. For the player, meanwhile, the chance to return to starting could mean that a team is willing to invest in a more substantial contract than they would be for a less-than-elite reliever and could mean an even more substantial contract if they find success and return to free agency with an established track record of starting at a high level.

Common as the trend has been in recent years, Helsley is an unusual candidate for a move to the rotation. Most players that move to the rotation have starting experience in the majors, a pitch mix that lends itself towards starting, and lack a track record as an established closer in the majors. While there are some pitchers in this free agent class that all applies to (and Brad Keller is notably already garnering interest for a potential move back to the rotation himself), none of it is true of Helsley. Rosenthal notes that more than 90% of his pitches thrown last year were either his four-seamer or his slider, though he does also have a cutter and a curveball in his repertoire. Helsley also has zero starts at the big league level with 105 saves picked up across his time as a closer for the Cardinals.

Since he took over that role in 2022, the two-time All-Star has a 2.49 ERA with a 2.80 FIP and a 31.9% strikeout rate across 210 appearances. He’s overwhelmingly been used as a one-inning arm as well, with just three outings that lasted longer than three outs over the past two seasons. Taken together, it all makes him an odd fit for a move to the rotation. Rosenthal suggests that the idea could have something to do with the state of the market this winter.

After a host of rotation arms expected to be available this winter (Jack Flaherty, Shane Bieber, Shota Imanaga, and Brandon Woodruff) either exercised player options with their current clubs or accepted a qualifying offer, there’s fewer quality starters available than once seemed likely. That relative shortage in conjunction with the fact that this winter’s market lacks a slam-dunk ace on the level of Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Corbin Burnes could leave teams a bit more willing than usual to get creative with their pitching additions this winter. From Helsley’s perspective, meanwhile, he’s coming off the worst season he’s had since becoming a closer as he posted an ERA of 4.50 with a 4.14 FIP across 56 innings with the Cardinals and Mets.

That could put a damper on his market in a winter with plenty of closing options available. Edwin Diaz, Devin Williams, Robert Suarez, Luke Weaver, Emilio Pagan, Pete Fairbanks, Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen are all quality relievers with ninth-inning experience coming off stronger seasons than Helsley, not to mention other arms like Keller who lack that closing experience but still figure to command significant dollars this winter. With such a deep group of late-inning relievers, perhaps Helsley can separate himself from the crowd by leaving the door to starting a game for the first time since he made his major league debut on the table.

Turning to the Tigers’ interest in Helsley more specifically, it’s not hard to see why Detroit might want more help for its rotation. Even as a trade of ace Tarik Skubal seems unlikely and Flaherty unexpectedly decided to stick around for another year, there’s not much certainty in the Tigers rotation outside of that duo and Casey Mize. Reese Olson is sure to be in rotation when healthy but made just 13 starts this year due to injuries. Troy Melton impressed in his rookie season but made just four starts for the Tigers in the majors this year. Even Mize and Flaherty will both join Skubal in free agency next winter, meaning that Detroit faces a major exodus of talent that could make signing a long-term starter with possible front-of-the-rotation upside this winter quite attractive.

Of course, it must be noted that Detroit surely isn’t the only team with interest in Helsley, even as a starter, and that the Tigers themselves could ultimately prefer a more established arm to serve as the bridge between their current rotation and the one they’ll need to build for 2027 and beyond. While the possibility of Helsley becoming the next King or Lopez is certainly enticing, if the Tigers are willing to go out and sign a more proven arm like Ranger Suarez or Dylan Cease that would offer a lot more certainty.

American League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25

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Every American League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the AL, while the National League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Angels announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Gustavo Campero and catcher Sebastian Rivero. Campero is a depth outfielder who has hit .202/.272/.346 over the past two seasons. Rivero operated as the club’s third catcher for most of the season but spent the final few weeks on the active roster. Neither player had been eligible for arbitration. All their arb-eligible players were easy calls to retain.
  • The Astros technically made one non-tender, dropping infielder Ramón Urías after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week. He’d been projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Athletics officially non-tendered outfielder JJ Bleday, the club announced. He’d been designated for assignment on Tuesday, so this was inevitable unless they found a trade partner. Bleday had been projected at $2.2MM.
  • The only non-tenders for the Red Sox were first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and reliever Josh Winckowski, each of whom had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Lowe was projected at $13.5MM, while Winckowski was at $800K.
  • The Guardians non-tendered outfielder Will Brennan and relievers Sam Hentges and Nic Enright. The latter had been designated for assignment on Tuesday. Hentges hasn’t pitched since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2024. He underwent a right knee procedure a few months ago and will be delayed this offseason. Brennan only appeared in six MLB games this year and underwent Tommy John surgery while in the minors in June. He’d been projected at $900K.
  • The Mariners non-tendered reliever Gregory Santos, reports Francys Romero. He’d only been projected at $800K, narrowly above the MLB minimum, so the move was about dropping him from the 40-man roster. Seattle acquired the 26-year-old righty from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. He has only made 16 MLB appearances with a 5.02 earned run average over the past two years because of lat and knee injuries. Seattle also non-tendered relievers Trent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo (the latter of whom was designated for assignment on Tuesday). Thornton had been projected at $2.5MM and is coming off a 4.68 ERA through 33 appearances. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in August.
  • The Orioles non-tendered swingman Albert Suárez, the team announced. Everyone else in their arbitration class was offered a contract, surprisingly including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Suárez, 36, was a solid depth starter in 2024. He was limited to five MLB appearances this past season by a flexor strain but is not expected to require surgery.
  • The Rangers non-tendered each of Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Sborz and Jacob Webb. MLBTR covered those moves in greater detail.
  • The Rays only non-tendered outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley, each of whom had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported last night that the Rays were open to bringing back Fraley at a lower price than his $3.6MM arbitration projection.
  • The Royals non-tendered outfielder MJ Melendez and reliever Taylor Clarke, per a club announcement. Melendez, who’d been projected at $2.65MM, was an obvious decision. The former top prospect never developed as hoped and is a career .215/.297/.388 hitter over parts of four seasons. Clarke isn’t as big a name but comes as the more surprising cut. He’d been projected at just $1.9MM and is coming off a 3.25 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate over 55 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
  • The Tigers are non-tendering utility player Andy Ibáñez, according to Romero. He’d been projected at $1.8MM. The righty-hitting Ibáñez had been a solid short-side platoon bat for Detroit between 2023-24. His production against southpaws dropped this year (.258/.311/.403), limiting his value. The Tigers optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A in early June and kept him in the minors until shortly before the trade deadline. Detroit also dropped the six pitchers they’d designated for assignment earlier in the week: Tanner Rainey, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Jason Foley, Jack Little and Sean Guenther.
  • The only Twins non-tender was outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who’d been designated for assignment this morning to make room for the Alex Jackson trade. Everyone in the arbitration class was brought back.
  • The White Sox non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, as first reported by Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The lefty hitter turned in a solid .263/.356/.400 line in 93 games this past season. Tauchman has gotten on base at plus rates in three straight years but was also non-tendered by the Cubs a year ago. The 34-year-old (35 next month) had been projected for a $3.4MM salary. The Sox also announced they’ve dropped lefty reliever Cam Booser and first baseman Tim Elko. Neither had been eligible for arbitration. The former posted a 5.52 ERA in 39 appearances after being acquired from the Red Sox last winter, while the latter hit .134 in his first 23 MLB games despite a 26-homer season in Triple-A.
  • The Yankees announced five non-tenders. Relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton were all cut loose, as was pre-arbitration righty Michael Arias. Leiter, who’d been projected at $3MM, never clicked in the Bronx after being acquired at the 2024 deadline. He posted a 4.89 ERA in 70 innings as a Yankee. Hamilton, Effross and Cousins were all projected just above the MLB minimum but are cut to clear roster space. Hamilton was on and off the active roster and posted a 4.28 ERA in 40 big league frames this year. Effross was limited to 11 appearances and has been plagued by various injuries for the past three and a half years, while Cousins is working back from Tommy John surgery. Arias has never pitched in the big leagues and could be brought back on a minor league deal.

The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all unsigned players on the 40-man roster.

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