Yankees take chance on reliever with funky delivery to fix bullpen problems

Yankees take chance on reliever with funky delivery to fix bullpen problems originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

In a blunt deadline-day assessment, The Athletic named Detroit among the “Losers” of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. Writer Stephen J. Nesbitt didn’t hold back.

“The Tigers certainly were active,” Nesbitt wrote. “They rebuilt half their pitching staff this week. But Charlie Morton, Chris Paddack, Kyle Finnegan, Paul Sewald, Randy Dobnak, Rafael Montero and Codi Heuer is not a winning deadline. It’s depth.”

That depth is undeniable. The Tigers brought in seven pitchers over the last few days. But the criticism lies not in who they added. The issue is more about who they didn’t.

“Where are the bats? Where are the stud late-inning relievers?” Nesbitt asked, noting the team’s reluctance to part with top prospects likely cost them a chance at elite bullpen arms like Ryan Helsley or David Bednar.

Instead, Detroit settled for a patchwork approach. They added a few veteran arms, some swing-and-miss stuff, and a whole lot of hoping things click in time for October. They announced they will move Troy Melton to the bullpen to make room for Morton. 

The Tigers have one of the best farm systems in baseball. They have the prospects to get a big deal done, but in the end, they valued potential over big league production. So, now we’ll see how that plays out in October, this one or the next. 

“Feels great,” Nesbitt wrote, “until it’s the ninth inning of a playoff game and you could have had Ryan Helsley or David Bednar trotting in from the bullpen.”

It’s a fair question and the Tigers’ President of Baseball Operations’ answer wasn’t really about this October. Scott Harris complained about the price or relievers and rentals and then talked about the regret going forward. 

“The flashiest moves often generate the headlines. They're not always the most effective moves,” He told reporters. “A lot of the moves that we passed on felt like moves that were going to haunt us for many years to come."

The Tigers’ bullpen entered the week with a 3.74 ERA. It’s solid, but not dominant, and has looked shakier in recent weeks. Adding Paul Sewald and Kyle Finnegan gives them experience. Montero and Dobnak offer depth. But there’s no clear lights-out closer, no true leverage killer.

Meanwhile, the offense didn’t get a boost at all.

Detroit’s nine-game AL Central lead gives them margin for error. But if this club expects to make a run in October, they’ll need more than innings-eaters and glue guys.

The Tigers were active, no doubt. But as The Athletic pointed out, they may find themselves regretting that they didn’t make the big move in October.  

The Tigers were busy. Just not in the way fans hoped.

In a blunt deadline-day assessment, The Athletic named Detroit among the “Losers” of the 2025 MLB trade deadline. Writer Stephen J. Nesbitt didn’t hold back.

“The Tigers certainly were active,” Nesbitt wrote. “They rebuilt half their pitching staff this week. But Charlie Morton, Chris Paddack, Kyle Finnegan, Paul Sewald, Randy Dobnak, Rafael Montero and Codi Heuer is not a winning deadline. It’s depth.”

That depth is undeniable. The Tigers brought in seven pitchers over the last few days. But the criticism lies not in who they added. The issue is more about who they didn’t.

“Where are the bats? Where are the stud late-inning relievers?” Nesbitt asked, noting the team’s reluctance to part with top prospects likely cost them a chance at elite bullpen arms like Ryan Helsley or David Bednar.

Instead, Detroit settled for a patchwork approach. They added a few veteran arms, some swing-and-miss stuff, and a whole lot of hoping things click in time for October. They announced they will move Troy Melton to the bullpen to make room for Morton. 

The Tigers have one of the best farm systems in baseball. They have the prospects to get a big deal done, but in the end, they valued potential over big league production. So, now we’ll see how that plays out in October, this one or the next. 

“Feels great,” Nesbitt wrote, “until it’s the ninth inning of a playoff game and you could have had Ryan Helsley or David Bednar trotting in from the bullpen.”

It’s a fair question and the Tigers’ President of Baseball Operations’ answer wasn’t really about this October. Scott Harris complained about the price or relievers and rentals and then talked about the regret going forward. 

“The flashiest moves often generate the headlines. They're not always the most effective moves,” He told reporters. “A lot of the moves that we passed on felt like moves that were going to haunt us for many years to come."

The Tigers’ bullpen entered the week with a 3.74 ERA. It’s solid, but not dominant, and has looked shakier in recent weeks. Adding Paul Sewald and Kyle Finnegan gives them experience. Montero and Dobnak offer depth. But there’s no clear lights-out closer, no true leverage killer.

Meanwhile, the offense didn’t get a boost at all.

Detroit’s nine-game AL Central lead gives them margin for error. But if this club expects to make a run in October, they’ll need more than innings-eaters and glue guys.

The Tigers were active, no doubt. But as The Athletic pointed out, they may find themselves regretting that they didn’t make the big move in October.  

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.