The Detroit Tigers have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with right-handed reliever Emilio Pagán after his three seasons in Cincinnati. MLB relayed the agreement, citing multiple reports including MLB Network insider @JonHeyman. Source Source
FanGraphs puts the deal at $11 million, while the Cincinnati Enquirer reports $11.5 million plus a bonus package. It's unclear what accounts for the difference. Source Source
According to FanGraphs, Detroit's relievers finished 2026 with a 3.84 ERA (earned runs allowed per nine innings), ranking 12th in baseball. In high-leverage situations, when the game's outcome hangs in the balance, their ERA was a league-worst 9.21. For a relief corps, that's precisely the wrong time to become interesting. Source
After missing about two months with a hamstring strain, Pagán returned July 1 and posted a 1.88 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 28⅔ innings over his final 30 appearances of 2026. He converted all 19 save opportunities during that stretch, FanGraphs reports. Source
Over three seasons in Cincinnati, the 35-year-old made 153 appearances with a 3.44 ERA. He converted 57 of 66 save opportunities in the final two seasons, according to FanGraphs. Source
FanGraphs identifies home runs as a persistent weakness: over those three seasons, Pagán allowed 1.39 homers per nine innings, sixth-highest among the 70 pitchers with at least 80 relief innings and 10 saves. A new jersey doesn't erase that risk. Source
The reports don't confirm whether he'll be Detroit's closer, responsible for protecting ninth-inning leads. Source Source Source
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