Detroit Tigers Interested In Former World Series-Winning Closer

He's been surprisingly one of the forgotten men on the free agent market. For teams looking for bullpen help—especially from the left side—they could do a lot worse than 10-year veteran reliever Will Smith. 

He is, after all, just one year removed from posting 37 saves and winning a World Series with the Atlanta Braves. 

It seems the Detroit Tigers are one team that hasn't forgotten, as word is that they are interested in the former All-Star closer.

The Tigers have shown some interest in free-agent reliever Will Smith, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

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The Tigers' bullpen is a shell of its former self, after trading away closer Gregory Soto and set-up man Joe Jimenez in the offseason, along with Michael Fulmer at last year's trade deadline. So trying to land a former impact closer like Smith makes all the sense in the world for Detroit. 

Smith was an All-Star in 2019 with the San Francisco Giants, saving 34 games to go with a 2.76 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and a whopping 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He was back in the closer role with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, and posted a 3.44 ERA with 37 saves and 11.5 K/9 while also registering six saves in the postseason helping the Braves to the World Series championship. 

In '22, he lost the closer role, and split his time between the Braves and the Houston Astros, posting a 3.97 ERA, but a 1.41 WHIP, while his strikeouts were down to 9.9 K/9.

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