Kenley Jansen reveals the real reasons he signed with Tigers

Relief pitcher Kenley Jansen recently signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Detroit Tigers to join their bullpen. Shortly after agreeing to the deal, Jansen shared the exact reason why he decided to sign with the club.

During his introductory press conference, the 38-year-old reliever credited Tigers manager AJ Hinch for creating a winning culture in Detroit. Jansen claims he wants to help the organization in its path to a potential World Series win.

“You see how AJ changed the whole culture to now it’s a winning culture,” said Kenley Jansen. “It’s exciting. I want to help finish what they started. I just want to be a part of a great thing.”

"You see how AJ changed the whole culture to now it's a winning culture. It's exciting. I want to help finish what they started. I just want to be a part of a great thing."

Four-time All-Star Kenley Jansen's full introductory press conference: https://t.co/lUzdu9MLvm pic.twitter.com/ZnNPN3PXb4

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) December 19, 2025

The 2026 campaign will be Jensen’s 17th in the league. He’s most known for being a key contributor out of the bullpen for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 12 seasons. However, after pitching for the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox between 2022 and 2024, Jensen stepped into a role with the Los Angeles Angels in 2025.

Although the Angels finished with a 72-90 record and were in last place in the AL West, Kenley Jansen served as a bright spot for the team. He continued his 16-year stretch of recording a sub-4.00 ERA by ending the season with a 2.59 ERA and 0.949 WHIP while recording 57 strikeouts and 29 saves through 59.0 innings pitched.

If he can put up similar numbers in 2026 in Detroit, then the Tigers just made a huge addition to the bullpen. Considering his career-worst ERA in a single season is 3.71 (2019), we should expect another fantastic year from Kenley Jansen. However, this time around, he could be helping a true contender out of the AL Central.

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