Kenley Jansen, the active MLB leader in saves, signs a 1+1 contract to join the Detroit Tigers, aiming to reach 500 career saves with the team.

For the 2026 season, the Detroit Tigers’ bullpen makeover now includes a feature rarely seen during A.J. Hinch’s tenure: a veteran closer. MLB official sources report that the Tigers have reached a one-year deal with Kenley Jansen, who has been selected to the All-Star game four times and boasts a 16-year MLB career.

According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, the contract, pending a physical and yet to be officially confirmed by the Tigers, also includes a team option for 2027.

At 38 years old, Jansen leads all active MLB pitchers with 476 saves, just two shy of Lee Smith’s third-place all-time saves record. Excluding the shortened 2020 season due to the pandemic, Jansen has recorded at least 25 saves in 13 consecutive full seasons.

Last season, Jansen experienced a career resurgence with the Los Angeles Angels, achieving 29 saves. Although his strikeout rate dropped to a career-low 24.4%, his 0.95 WHIP was his best since 2017, a year when he led the National League with 41 saves and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting.

Jansen has consistently relied on his cutter, once one of the most intimidating pitches in the league during his prime. According to Baseball Savant data, this pitch became even more effective last season; despite an average exit velocity of 90.9 mph and a career-low 25.2% whiff rate, it limited hitters to a .164 batting average and a .238 weighted on-base average.

The Tigers witnessed a low point for Jansen during the season. On May 2 at Angel Stadium, they scored six runs off him in the ninth inning (he allowed 18 runs total that season) in a chaotic frame. Riley Greene and Colt Keith hit back-to-back home runs to give the Tigers the lead, followed by a Jace Jung hit and a Javier Báez homer. Later in the inning, Greene homered again, but with Jake Eder pitching, ending Jansen’s outing that day.

Jansen bounced back the next day, securing the save by retiring Greene and Keith consecutively while holding a three-run lead. Since then, he posted a 1.97 ERA, a 3.27 FIP, and limited opponents to a .148 batting average.

The Tigers are the fifth MLB team Jansen has played for, and under Hinch’s management, the team has operated effectively without a fixed closer. Hinch’s strategy prioritizes using his best relievers in the most critical situations and against the toughest hitters, rather than sticking to specific innings. Will Vest leads the team with 23 saves, while five other pitchers have recorded saves, including Tommy Kahnle, who contributed nine in the early-season “rotation.” Kyle Finneran, acquired at the trade deadline, added four saves in his first weeks before transitioning to key pre-ninth-inning roles as the former Nationals closer.

Earlier this week, the Tigers reached an agreement to re-sign Finneran. By adding Jansen, Detroit has assembled a bullpen that may be adjusted as needed, continuing to mix pitchers before the ninth inning and then handing the ball to Jansen. He will undoubtedly be the most experienced closer Hinch has ever managed.

In previous competitive windows, the Tigers have relied on veteran closers with mixed results. Former Tigers All-Star closer Todd Jones returned in 2006, accumulating 93 saves over his final three MLB seasons, surpassing 300 career saves and setting a team record. José Valverde saved 119 games during his four years in Detroit, including a single-season team record of 49 saves in 2011. Joe Nathan spent just over a season with the Tigers, recording 35 saves in 2014 but posting a 4.81 ERA. Francisco Rodríguez notched 44 saves in 2016 before being released midway through the 2017 season.