If the Detroit Tigers squander their fast start to the season, the team’s bullpen could be a key scapegoat. The Tigers’ bullpen currently ranks 15th with a 1.29 WHIP and 19th with a 4.19 ERA this season and there didn’t seem to be an urgency to add to that group at the deadline outside of trading for Kyle Finnegan and Rafael Montero.
The Tigers also made another attempt to fix the bullpen this weekend when they designated reliever Luke Jackson for assignment and called up Codi Heuer from Triple-A Toledo.
President of baseball operations Scott Harris can point to those moves and say “At least we tried.” But the decision to kick Jackson to the curb could have long-term repercussions as the Tigers head down the final stretch of the season.
Keeping Luke Jackson Could Have Long-Term Ramifications for Tigers
No Tigers fan will argue with the Tigers’ decision to DFA Luke Jackson. The right-hander struggled after joining the Tigers, allowing four earned runs and walking more batters (five) than he struck out (four) in three appearances after signing with the Tigers on July 26. But while getting rid of Jackson was the right call, they may have waited too long to do it.
The Detroit Free Press’s Evan Petzold highlighted the Tigers’ gaffe, noting they could have released Jackson when they acquired Finnegan and Montero at the trade deadline and been able to keep right-handed Brenan Hanifee on the active roster and left-hander PJ Poulin in the organization.
Poulin was designated for assignment at the deadline in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the new acquisitions. The move seemed like a bad decision considering Poulin posted a 3.38 ERA in 35 games at Triple-A Toledo this season and the Washington Nationals reaped the benefits as Poulin has allowed one earned run in three appearances (2.2 innings) since he was claimed off waivers.
Hanifee is still in the Tigers’ organization but also has the optics of a massive misfire. The 27-year-old was named the Tigers “Reliever of the Month” along with left-hander Tyler Holton in July and his reward was a trip back to Toledo. In 46 appearances this season, Haniff has posted a 3.10 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, but the Tigers couldn’t call him up for 10 days after making the move.
Instead of keeping a solid reliever, the Tigers opted to give Jackson a swan song, tossing two scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 5 and being designated for assignment a few days later.
This gives the feeling that Harris is just pulling any lever he can to fix the bullpen and may have also let go of an arm that could help him either down the stretch or potentially next season. It’s a scramble for a Tigers team that has seen its lead in the American League Central shrink to six games entering Monday’s action and could be something that haunts Detroit as they chase a pennant.