How should Detroit Tigers upgrade bullpen in 2025-26 offseason? Reliever expert explains
Reliever expert Greg Jewett explains on “Days of Roar” how the Detroit Tigers should upgrade their bullpen with multiple weapons for the 2026 season.
ORLANDO, FL — RJ Petit is gone.
The Colorado Rockies selected Petit – a 6-foot-8, 300-pound right-handed reliever – from the Detroit Tigers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, Dec. 10, the final day of the Winter Meetings. The 26-year-old was the first of 13 players chosen in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 draft.
“We had a sense,” Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg said Wednesday about losing Petit to the Rockies. “You never know for sure, but by the time we got here, we knew he was going to go. You never want to lose somebody, but it’s part of the process, and we still have a chance to get him back.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers didn’t make a selection in the MLB phase for the third year in a row.
The Tigers didn’t add Petit to their 40-man roster, which left him exposed to the Rule 5 draft. To stick with the Rockies, he needs to stay on their active 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season.
Rule 5 draft rules
Teams with an open spot on their 40-man roster pay $100,000 to select a player in the MLB phase, but if he doesn’t stay on the active 26-man roster (or the injured list) at the MLB level for the entire season, then he must be placed on waivers and offered back to his former team for $50,000.
That means Petit could eventually return to the Tigers’ organization.
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In 2025, Petit registered a 2.44 ERA with 22 walks and 79 strikeouts across 66⅓ innings in 47 games for Double-A Erie (27 games) and Triple-A Toledo (20 games). For the Mud Hens, he had a 2.74 ERA with a 10.4% strikeout rate and 34.4% walk rate.
He mixed four pitches at the Triple-A level: 41.5% sliders, 29.8% four-seam fastballs, 18% sinkers and 10.7% changeups. His fastball averaged 95.1 mph, while his slider generated a 41.7% whiff rate.
Opponents hit just .130 against his fastball and .171 against his slider.
His sinker and changeup weren’t as successful.
“Really big guy with velocity and a breaking ball that he’s had success with,” Greenberg said.
RJ Petit was a great selection for the Rockies in the Rule 5 Draft. His slider was impossible to hit in Triple-A this year:
41.5% Usage
83.7 MPH
.108 xBA
.161 xSLG
.148 xwOBA
41.7% Whiff%
11.8% Hard-Hit%
6-ft-8, 300 lb frame as well…
📊: @ProspectSavant pic.twitter.com/KOg9CzCD8Y
— Tobey Schulman (@tschulmanreport) December 10, 2025
The Tigers selected Petit in the 14th round of the 2021 draft from Charleston Southern University. He received a promotion from Double-A Erie to Triple-A Toledo in July 2025.
In 2026, Petit is expected to make his MLB debut for the Rockies.
“We’re happy for him,” Greenberg said. “We still have a chance to get him back, so we’ll see.”
Luke Taggart joins Tigers
The Tigers selected four right-handed relievers in the minor league phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft: Luke Taggart (Rockies), Jan Caraballo (San Francisco Giants), John Stankiewicz (Minnesota Twins) and Yendy Gomez (Los Angeles Angels). Players selected in the minor league phase aren’t subject to any roster restrictions with their new organizations.
Taggert is the headliner of the four relievers.
“It’s a good heater with a real breaking ball,” Greenberg said.
🐅 Taggart’s a Tiger. The former Spokane Indians pitcher was selected by Detroit in the Minor League phase of today’s Rule 5 Draft. Best of luck in the Motor City, Luke! #GoSpo pic.twitter.com/djCwl5uh99
— Spokane Indians (@spokaneindians) December 10, 2025
The 28-year-old missed almost all of the 2023-24 seasons with injury, then was limited to just 26 innings in the 2025 season, including 20⅓ innings in 19 games for High-A Spokane in the Rockies’ organization. During that stint, he posted a 6.64 ERA with eight walks and 22 strikeouts.
To build his workload, Taggert joined Criollos de Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League when the offseason began. His results in 12 relief appearances? A 0.00 ERA with three walks and 22 strikeouts.
“You go through the process,” Greenberg said. “We cast a really wide net with all 29 teams. Winter ball is a part of that. He was interested based on what he had done in affiliate ball, but obviously, the performance in Puerto Rico stood out.”
The Tigers also lost four players in the minor league phase: outfielder Austin Murr (from High-A West Michigan) to the Philadelphia Phillies, catcher Archer Brookman (from High-A West Michigan) to the Atlanta Braves, right-handed reliever Travis Kuhn (from the Double-A Erie) to the Toronto Blue Jays and infielder Danny Serretti (from Double-A Erie) to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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