With 500 career saves within reach, veteran closer Kenley Jansen has agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, reports ESPN. The deal will pay him $11 million and includes a club option for 2027. The team has not yet officially announced the signing. We did not rank Jansen among our top 50 free agents this offseason.
Jansen, 38, spent this past season with the Los Angeles Angels, where he went 29 for 30 in save chances with a 2.59 ERA in 59 innings. The under-the-hood numbers are not as strong as they were during Jansen’s prime, though he remains a solid to above-average reliever, one who won’t wilt under pressure in important late-inning situations for a contending team.
With a full and healthy season in 2026, Jansen is in line to become the third pitcher in history with 500 saves. Here is the all-time saves leaderboard:
- Mariano Rivera: 652 (Hall of Famer)
- Trevor Hoffman: 601 (Hall of Famer)
- Lee Smith: 478 (Hall of Famer)
- Kenley Jansen: 476
- Craig Kimbrel: 440
Jansen needs 24 saves to join the 500-saves club, a total he has eclipsed in every 162-game season since 2012. Does 500 saves punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame? Jansen is one of the best relievers of his generation, and 500 saves, while not as sexy as 500 home runs, is an awfully big number. You don’t get there without longevity and effectiveness. Cooperstown beckons.
“Four more years. That’s the goal, man,” Jansen told reporters, including the Associated Press, when asked how much longer he wants to play on the final day of the 2025 regular season. “The offseason begins tomorrow. No kidding. I’m getting in my gym at 5 a.m. I want to drop a few more pounds, get stronger, get a little quicker. I’m dedicated.”
As for the 2026 Tigers, Jansen will step into the closer’s role, allowing manager A.J. Hinch to use righties Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest as “Moment of Truth” relievers who pitch in high-leverage situations regardless of the inning. With the caveat that there is a long way to go between now and Opening Day, Detroit’s bullpen currently looks like this:
There’s room for another established reliever, perhaps a lefty who misses more bats than Holton, Hinch’s current go-to southpaw. There is plenty of offseason to sort that out. For now, though, Jansen gives the Tigers an established closer, one who pushes Finnegan and Vest into setup roles. Jansen, meanwhile, will continue his march to 500 saves.
The Tigers went 87-75 in 2025, one game better than 2024. They were eliminated from the postseason in Game 5 of the ALDS in both seasons.
