The Detroit Tigers have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran reliever Kenley Jansen, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The deal, which is contingent on a physical, also includes a team option for 2027.
Jansen, 38, is the active Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher with the most saves, with 476 in 16 seasons. The right-hander is just two saves away from tying Hall of Famer Lee Smith for third most in MLB history.
Jansen joins a Tigers bullpen that has operated without a designated reliever under manager AJ Hinch.
Will Vest led Detroit with 23 saves last season before giving up late-season opportunities to Kyle Finnegan, who joined the Tigers in a midseason trade with the Washington Nationals.
Jansen was 5-4 with a 2.59 ERA and converted 29 of his 30 save opportunities in 62 appearances last season with the Angels.
After a strong finish to the season with no hits in 10 innings over his final 10 appearances, Jansen said he has no plans to retire and his goal is to play “four more years.”
The Tigers will be Jansen’s fifth team in the last six seasons. He is the second reliever to sign with the Tigers this month following Finnegan’s two-year contract extension.
Merrill Kelly returns to the Diamondbacks
After being traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline last season, right-handed pitcher Merrill Kelly is returning to Arizona on a two-year, $40 million contract, according to multiple sources.
Kelly, 37, had 12 wins and 9 losses, a 3.42 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 32 starts last season.
Kelly spent over six seasons with Arizona and was an important piece for the Diamondbacks as they reached the World Series in 2023, recording 28 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in 24 innings.
He has a career record of 65 wins and 53 losses, a 3.77 ERA and 911 strikeouts in 1,008 1/3 innings over seven MLB seasons.
Royals acquire Isaac Collins
The Kansas City Royals completed a trade to acquire outfielder Isaac Collins and reliever Nick Mears from the Milwaukee Brewers for left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa.
Collins finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting last season after hitting .263 with nine home runs and 16 stolen bases in 130 games.
Mears appeared in 63 games last season, finishing with a 3.49 ERA in 56.2 innings pitched and one save. The Brewers acquired the 29-year-old pitcher in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in 2024.
Zerpa, 26, posted a 4.18 ERA with the Royals in 2025 in 64.2 innings pitched. He struck out 58 batters.
