Detroit Tigers Officially Cut Ties With All-Star Pitcher

The Detroit Tigers have declined the $12 million club option on veteran closer Kenley Jansen for the 2027 season, instead paying him a $2 million buyout, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

The move, announced alongside the club exercising its $10 million option on swingman Drew Anderson and re-signing right-hander Jacob Waguespack to a one-year, $1.3 million deal, ends Jansen’s one-year tenure in Detroit and places the 39-year-old free agent on the open market just two saves shy of 500 for his career.

Jansen arrived in Detroit last winter on a one-year deal with the club option attached, bringing Hall of Fame credentials and the chance to add another chapter near the end of a storied career.

In 2026, he recorded 22 saves with a 3.20 ERA across 45 innings, numbers that on the surface appeared serviceable for a high-leverage role.

Digging deeper, however, revealed the inconsistencies that ultimately made the $12 million commitment untenable: he blew six save opportunities, walked 23 batters, and allowed seven home runs, several of which were walk-off shots.

Those struggles contributed to a broader bullpen problem in which the Tigers lost 18 games after holding a lead following the sixth inning.

At 39, Jansen remains one of the more experienced late-inning arms available, and he finished the season with a strong stretch of 12 consecutive scoreless appearances.

Yet the rising walk and home-run rates, combined with the Tigers’ need for greater reliability at the back of the bullpen, made declining the option the clearer financial and roster decision.

Paying the $2 million buyout rather than the full $12 million frees roughly $10 million in payroll flexibility heading into a critical offseason, money that can be redirected toward other relief options or addressing additional roster needs.

Jansen’s free agency comes with the compelling narrative of a future Hall of Famer chasing the 500-save milestone. Only two other pitchers in history have reached that mark, and he is certain to prioritize a closing role wherever he signs.

For the Tigers, the decision signals a willingness to move past a disappointing 2026 campaign and rebuild the relief corps around younger or more cost-effective arms, including the potential for internal candidates such as left-hander Drew Sommers to assume a larger late-inning role.

With the option deadline now passed, Jansen joins a free-agent closer market that includes names such as David Bednar and Raisel Iglesias.

Detroit, meanwhile, begins its offseason roster construction with a clearer financial picture and one fewer veteran commitment on the books.

The move is a pragmatic one for a club that must improve its late-inning execution if it hopes to contend more consistently in 2027.