The Detroit have several areas on their roster that they must improve during this offseason.
One specific spot on Detroit’s roster that they must upgrade is their bullpen. It would not hurt for them to add at least one dependable reliever to their bullpen during the offseason. This is especially so when noting how poorly their 2026 season went.
Due to this, the Tigers are now being urged to reunite with one of their former pitchers who is currently with the New York Yankees.
Detroit Tigers Urged to Sign Yankees Pitcher John Schreiber in Free Agency
In a recent article for Sports Illustrated, Dominic Minchella urged the Tigers to reunite with Yankees relief pitcher John Schreiber in free agency this offseason.
“The former 15th-round draft pick by Detroit in the 2016 MLB Draft out of Wyandotte, MI, veteran reliever John Schreiber might be the perfect pitcher for the Tigers’ front office to target,” Schreiber wrote. “Having been away from the franchise for six years now, it’s time for Schreiber to return to the Motor City.”
With the Tigers needing bullpen help, it would be understandable if they brought back Schreiber. He would provide them with another solid relief pitcher, which is undoubtedly a major need for the Tigers right now.
On a short-term deal, a reunion between the Tigers and Schreiber would make sense. However, if the 32-year-old Schreiber ends up looking for a long-term deal, the Tigers may be best off exploring their options elsewhere.
Looking at Schreiber’s Time With the Tigers
Schreiber spent his first two MLB seasons with the Tigers from 2019 to 2020. In 28 games for the Tigers over that span, he posted a 2-1 record, a 6.28 ERA, and 33 strikeouts.
With numbers like these, it is clear that Schreiber struggled during his time with the Tigers. However, since his time in Detroit ended, he has become a very dependable relief pitcher. That has been the case for multiple seasons now, too.
Since his time in Detroit ended, Schreiber has had an ERA under 4.00 in each of his last six seasons. This included this campaign, as he had a 3.28 ERA in 66 games split between the Kansas City Royals and Yankees. In fact, he was excellent after joining New York, as he had a very low 1.64 ERA in 11 games with them this campaign.
With this, Schreiber would be a very intriguing player for the Tigers to bring back to Detroit. He has become a very good reliever since his time with the Tigers ended, and it would be good to see Detroit bring him back because of it. It will be fascinating to see if they do just that this offseason from here. The fit looks very good on paper.
Detroit Tigers Urged to Reunite With Yankees Pitcher to Bolster Bullpen