Tigers Sign Former Rangers Reliever in Effort To Boost Their Struggling Bullpen

It's hard to believe how far this Detroit Tigers bullpen has fallen from grace.

In the playoffs last year, they were so good that manager A.J. Hinch could use the "pitching chaos" strategy by deploying Tarik Skubal as the lone starting pitcher while having a plethora of relievers throw the rest of the innings.

But it's clear the Tigers need help when it comes to their current iteration, and ahead of the trade deadline, it appears like that will be their top priority.

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On Saturday, without giving up assets to acquire a reliever, Detroit boosted their unit.

As reported by Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, they signed Luke Jackson to a Major League deal for the remainder of the season.

Jackson, who was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on July 23 and released one day later, will be paid a prorated MLB minimum salary for the remainder of year, while the Rangers cover the rest of the $1.5 million contract he signed with them this past winter.

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On the season, the right-hander has a 4.11 ERA across 39 outings.

It's strange to see someone with those numbers get DFA'd, but he ran into some trouble during July with a 7.50 ERA across six outings during the month.

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Still, this is a relatively low-risk move by the Tigers, adding an established Major League arm to the mix on a minimum salary.

Signing Jackson wasn't the only move Detroit made on Saturday, either.

As announced by the team's official account, Tarik Skubal was also activated off the paternity list to make his start against the Toronto Blue Jays. To make room on the 40-man roster for Jackson and Skubal, Keider Montero was optioned to Triple-A Toledo and pitcher Geoff Hartlieb was designated for assignment.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.