Detroit's president of baseball operations is counting on the organization's growing pitching pipeline to provide relief help. The question is whether those internal options will be ready when the Tigers need them.
Scott Harris acknowledged that the Detroit Tigers did not have enough depth to overcome the injuries that contributed to their 6-22 record in May. During his end-of-season press conference, the Tigers' president of baseball operations identified several roster vulnerabilities, including the lack of reliable back-end bullpen options.
Harris accepted responsibility for those shortcomings and outlined how he believes the organization is better positioned heading into 2027. Much of that confidence comes from the young talent already reaching Detroit and a pitching pipeline strengthened through trades, drafting and player development.
The pitching depth is encouraging, particularly considering where the organization stood just a few seasons ago. However, Harris' comments about the bullpen raised questions about how Detroit intends to address one of its most significant needs this offseason.
The Tigers have more pitching prospects than they did entering 2026. Whether those pitchers can provide reliable major league relief innings next season is another matter.
Developing starters into relievers
One of the more interesting parts of Harris' press conference was his explanation of how the Tigers intend to develop their future bullpen.
Harris identified Drew Sommers as an example of the type of reliever the organization wants to produce internally. He pointed to Sommers' strikeout rate and years of remaining team control as advantages of developing bullpen talent rather than repeatedly acquiring it through free agency.
He also discussed the organization's improving starting pitching depth, specifically mentioning Brady Smith, Ben Jacobs, Kash Mayfield, Jackson Wolf, Lucas Elissalt and Andrew Sears.
The plan is to continue developing starting pitchers, knowing that some will eventually transition to relief.
"I wish we could run them all out as starters," Harris said, explaining that the organization intends to acquire and develop as much starting pitching as possible.
The reasoning makes sense. Starting pitchers generally have deeper arsenals, and moving into shorter outings can allow their stuff to play differently. A pitcher who struggles to turn over a major league lineup multiple times might become an effective reliever by concentrating on his two or three best pitches.
We've seen pitchers throughout baseball make successful transitions using that approach.However, there is a difference between having starting pitching depth and having an established major league bullpen.
Smith and Jacobs have demonstrated impressive strikeout ability in the minor leagues, but both are still developing as starters. Mayfield is another young arm whose development should not be accelerated simply because the major league team needs relief help.
Elissalt and Sears provide additional possibilities, but their eventual roles remain to be determined. Wolf has been in Triple-A forever.
The organization might eventually develop several effective relievers from this group. The problem is that the Tigers need bullpen help in 2027, not exclusively over the next three to five seasons.
What Harris' free-agent comments might tell us
Harris also addressed the organization's recent history of acquiring major league pitching through free agency and trades.
He acknowledged that Detroit could have performed better in free agency, particularly regarding its relief pitching acquisitions. However, he also questioned the overall return on investment throughout the previous winter's free-agent relief market.
That portion of his response stood out.
"We're not building through free agency," Harris said, reiterating that the Tigers intend to use external acquisitions to supplement their internally developed core.
Harris explained that Detroit has deliberately pursued shorter contracts because the organization does not want to block opportunities for its young players.
There is a reasonable argument behind that philosophy. Expensive multiyear commitments to relievers carry considerable risk, especially given the year-to-year volatility of bullpen performance.
But those comments also raise concerns about how aggressively Detroit will pursue established relief pitching this winter.
Harris did not say the Tigers would avoid spending money. He specifically acknowledged that trades and free agency remain part of the team's roster-building strategy.
Still, if the organization continues prioritizing shorter commitments while waiting for its pitching prospects to develop, Detroit could enter another season relying heavily on unproven internal options and short-term acquisitions.
That is particularly concerning when Harris himself identified the lack of bullpen depth as one of the vulnerabilities that contributed to the team's struggles in May.
Free-agent relievers are not guaranteed to perform. Neither are prospects making their first appearances in high-leverage situations.
The Tigers should be able to develop their own pitching while acquiring established relievers who can provide additional stability.
Detroit is in a different position than it was when Harris first arrived.
Kevin McGonigle and several other young players have reached the major leagues. Max Clark is part of the organization's emerging foundation, and the Tigers have added considerable talent to their farm system.
Harris believes the organization has positioned itself to remain competitive for several seasons, with young players developing together rather than relying on a constantly changing collection of free agents.
That is an understandable long-term objective. However, the Tigers entered 2026 with legitimate postseason expectations and finished the season outside the playoffs.
Harris acknowledged that the organization had fallen short, noting that Detroit's performance during the other five months of the season made its May struggles particularly frustrating.
He also made clear that the club's inability to withstand injuries was partly the result of how the roster had been constructed.
The next step should be ensuring that Detroit has enough depth to avoid repeating that situation. That doesn't necessarily require signing an expensive closer or committing substantial money to several veteran relievers.
It could involve acquiring a dependable late-inning arm through a trade, signing established pitchers to shorter contracts or finding relievers with multiple years of team control. The important consideration is giving the major league team enough reliable options that its prospects are not immediately expected to fill critical roles.
If Smith, Jacobs or another young pitcher develops into an effective reliever next season, that would provide Detroit with additional flexibility.
The next wave needs more velocity
Another consideration is where much of Detroit's pitching pipeline currently stands. While Jacobs and other young arms have demonstrated promising strikeout ability, much of the organization's next wave is still developing at High-A and below. That makes it difficult to project how much immediate bullpen help the Tigers can realistically expect from their farm system.
There is also the question of velocity. The Tigers have acquired pitchers with interesting arsenals, strikeout numbers and pitch characteristics, but adding more power arms should be an organizational priority. Velocity alone does not make someone an effective reliever, but it provides a greater margin for error, particularly against major league hitters who can punish mistakes.
Developing starters who eventually transition into relief is a sensible strategy. However, Detroit needs to identify and develop pitchers whose fastballs and secondary offerings can succeed in high-leverage situations. That means prioritizing velocity development alongside command, pitch movement and the ability to miss bats.
The Tigers have made progress rebuilding their pitching pipeline, but much of that talent still needs time. The organization cannot assume that every successful minor league starter will gain velocity or immediately become an effective major league reliever. Depth is nice but having a bullpen is better. Just ask Cleveland.
If Harris intends to build a sustainable bullpen internally, developing more power arms needs to be part of that process. In the meantime, acquiring established major league relief pitching would allow those younger arms to develop without being rushed to fill an immediate need.
