Tigers bullpen move with Brenan Hanifee backfired and it seemed obvious at the time
Tigers lost RHP Brenan Hanifee from their active roster and LHP PJ Poulin from their organization — all to keep Luke Jackson for one more appearance.
As the Detroit Tigers shuffled their bullpen again on Friday, Aug. 8, with the call-up of right-hander Codi Heuer and DFA'ing of right-hander Luke Jackson, it's worth looking back at what keeping Jackson on the roster cost.
The Tigers lost right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee from their active roster and left-handed reliever PJ Poulin from their organization — all to keep Jackson for one more relief appearance.
After the July 31 trade deadline, the Tigers needed to open spots on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters. The Tigers decided to option Hanifee and designate Poulin for assignment, rather than cutting ties with Jackson.
From there, Jackson pitched in his third and final game Tuesday, Aug. 5, with the Tigers. A few days later, the Tigers designated him for assignment anyway to open a spot for Heuer to join the bullpen.
"We make decisions when we make decisions," Hinch said. "We're trying to configure our bullpen the best way we can to give the opportunity to guys that we have. There's always conversations about when and what and where."
Poulin, 29, was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals and threw a scoreless inning in his MLB debut. Before the Tigers dumped him, he posted a 3.38 ERA with 17 walks and 62 strikeouts across 42⅔ innings in 35 games for Triple-A Toledo.
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Hanifee, 27, had a 3.10 ERA in 46 games for the Tigers, including a 1.26 ERA in 13 games since June 22. He isn't eligible to return from Triple-A Toledo until Aug. 17 at the earliest — unless there's an injury in the big leagues.
"What's the best configuration?" Hinch said, referencing the eight pitchers in the bullpen. "Does power work? Do sinkers work? Does a breaking ball work? Everybody has a certain strength. We make decisions when we do."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers bullpen move backfired and it seemed obvious at the time
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