Detroit Tigers sign reliever Emilio Pagán to 1-year deal

LAS VEGAS — The Detroit Tigers have signed right-handed reliever Emilio Pagán to a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network

Pagán, 35, is a 10-year MLB veteran who has pitched with the Cincinnati Reds for the past three seasons.

He had a 3.38 ERA in 42⅔ innings in 2026 and has 90 career saves.

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“First off, we want to add more swing-and-miss to the back end of our pen,” Tigers president Scott Harris said at the GM meetings on Tuesday, Nov. 10. “We want to add a stable veteran presence who can get righties out and lefties out and add a little bit more leadership to our clubhouse. If we can find that, that would be great.”

Pagan certainly fits the back-end description. He struck out 45 with 11 walks in 2026. He earned 25 saves in 28 opportunities in 2026.

The Tigers need back-end help after letting closer Kenley Jansen go, declining his club option.

But Harris made it clear manager A.J Hinch would determine exact roles.

“My job is just to fill the roster with really good arms and let A.J. sort it all out,” Harris said. “In terms of what we're looking for, we feel a little deeper on the left-hand side of our pen with both the development and just like the pop in performance from some of our guys. So, we want to add right-hand relievers, preferably ones that can throw strikes, miss bats, and get lefties and righties out. And if we can find some of those this winter, it'll be a successful winter."

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.