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MLB MLB Offseason Kenley Jansen is 24 saves away from joining the 500 save club. Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images The Detroit Tigers have made another move to bolster their bullpen, reaching an agreement on a contract with free-agent right-hander Kenley Jansen, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. The veteran closer agreed to a one-year deal that includes a club option for 2027, the source said. Jansen, 38, is coming off a 2025 season in which he had a 2. 59 ERA and 29 saves with the Los Angeles Angels. He joins a Tigers bullpen that has functioned without a traditional closer for most of A. J. Hinch’s five-year tenure as manager. He joins Will Vest (23 saves last season) and Kyle Finnegan (24 saves with the Nationals and Tigers) as back-end options in a bullpen looking to improve upon its No. 30 ranking in strikeouts per nine innings last season. Advertisement This is Jansen’s fifth free-agent contract, and come 2026, he will play for his fourth team since spending his first dozen big league seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jansen was the 46th-ranked player on The Athletic’s Big Board, and was projected by Tim Britton to secure a one-year deal for $10 million. Terms of his deal with the Tigers have not been disclosed. Among MLB’s most prolific closers, Jansen is just two saves behind Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith, whose 478 saves rank third all-time. Jansen made it clear that reaching 500 saves is a big deal to him. “I think I have a lot more left in my tank, and why not get that accomplishment? ” Jansen told The Athletic in May. “I think it’s a pretty awesome accomplishment. Only two guys have reached 500 before, so why not be the third one? ” Jansen has stated he wants to pitch for several more years, and that his decision to remain in the game isn’t simply about chasing a milestone. Despite the great overall numbers, Jansen had some concerning underlying metrics last season. His average exit velocity allowed was 91. 5 mph, the worst of his career and in the bottom three percent of MLB. And while his ERA was well below 3. 00, his expected ERA was 3. 74. Jansen’s strikeout rate also continued to decline, finishing at just 24. 4 percent, compared to 32. 7 percent for his career. Still, he will get a chance to close with the Tigers. And although the closer’s role is seldom guaranteed, the pressure will be on for Jansen to notch another 24 saves this season.