Do the Tigers Need More Bullpen Help After Signing Emilio Pagán?

The Tigers made a huge splash early in free agency when they went out and signed former Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán to join the bullpen in hopes of locking down the ninth inning.

The Tigers' bullpen woes were a constant point of conversation last year, as Detroit lost more games than any other team when holding a lead in the seventh inning or later.

It was a constant barrage of bad pitches, poorly timed moves from the skipper and a lack of execution on the mound.

So when Detroit made the early acquisition, just days after letting go of last year's big bullpen addition, Kenley Jansen, it didn't come as any kind of surprise. But now the real debate starts.

Does Detroit need to add even more bullpen depth, or do the players currently in the clubhouse hold enough weight to last the entirety of the season?

Currently, Detroit's bullpen looks like this:

Via FanGraphs.

Looking at the bullpen, it still brings back a lot of recent memories of pain and misery. Even with the Tigers moving on from Jansen, they are retaining the team's leader in blown saves, Kyle Finnegan (8), along with Will Vest, who tied Jansen for the second-most blown saves on the team (6).

It's a scary-looking bullpen, and not in a good way.

But if the Tigers can rely on Pagán, perhaps having Vest and Finnegan in roles outside of the ninth inning could prove positive. However, that was absolutely not the case last year, as both pitchers struggled throughout the season, even when they weren't being used in closing situations.

Tyler Holton has also become a shell of the pitcher he was just a couple of years ago, when he dominated with Detroit and headlined the pitching chaos that helped push the Tigers beyond their limits and make a miraculous playoff push.

Holton did start to find a bit of rhythm toward the end of the season, but what a pitcher does when games don't matter as much should be taken with a grain of salt. High-leverage games and innings are different from throwaway games.

Luckily, Detroit does have some potential in its bullpen, as Drew Anderson, Drew Sommers and Jacob Waguespack all pitched very well for the Tigers when called upon. However, it will be different when the games matter more.

To the naked eye, it looks like Detroit could still use some help in the bullpen department.

A certified setup man for Pagán could prove beautiful and bring back memories of Joaquín Benoit setting up José Valverde, something Detroit fans witnessed so many years ago.

Detroit has been lacking a great setup man and closer combination since those two left. If the Tigers can add one more piece alongside Pagán, they may finally be on the right track toward recreating that long-lost duo.

Pagán is a step in the right direction, but one addition may not be enough to fix everything that went wrong last season. Detroit still needs someone it can trust to bridge the gap between the late innings and its new closer.

The Tigers have an opportunity to build a much more reliable bullpen this offseason. Adding another proven high-leverage arm could be the difference between watching late-inning leads disappear again and finally having the pieces to close out games.