Over the past few years, the Detroit Tigers have had a hard time fixing their bullpen issues. During a 2015 season in which they recorded their first losing season since 2008, Tigers relievers posted a 4.38 ERA, ranking 27th in MLB.

Going into the offseason, however, the Tigers did have a couple of very solid pieces to build around in Blaine Hardy and Alex Wilson. The 28-year-old Hardy, a left-hander who made his MLB debut with the Tigers back in 2014, posted a 3.08 ERA through 61.1 innings while leading the team’s relief corps with a 1.1 fWAR this past season. The 29-year-old Wilson, who many considered to be a throw-in in the Rick Porcello deal that also brought now ex-Tigers Yoenis Cespedes and prospect Gabe Speier to Detroit last December, posted a rock-solid 2.19 ERA through 70 innings of work (three of those innings actually came as a starter).

So far this winter, the Tigers have added three new relievers who will presumably join Hardy and Wilson in the ‘pen next season. All three of them appear to be terrific additions.

The first move the Tigers made to address their relief pitching was acquiring Francisco Rodriguez in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers last month. The soon-to-be 34-year-old Rodriguez may not throw as hard as he once did, but he is coming off of a fantastic season, posting a 2.21 ERA and an 0.86 WHIP through 57 innings of work while converting 38 saves in 40 opportunities. He now has 386 career saves, making him the game’s active leader in that department.

The second move the Tigers made was signing Mark Lowe to a reported two-year, $11 million deal. The 32-year-old Lowe signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners last offseason and was later dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays this past summer. Overall, he ended up having a fantastic campaign in 2015, posting a combined 1.96 ERA and a 9.98 K/9 through 55 innings in a 1.2 fWAR campaign. If he can continue to perform at such a level, he will be a major help to the Tigers in the late innings.

Lastly, the Tigers acquired left-hander Justin Wilson in a deal with the New York Yankees, sending Chad Green and Luis Cessa the other way. The 28-year-old Wilson, who began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, posted a 3.10 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and a 9.74 K/9 with the Yankees last year.

Indeed, it appears that the Tigers have five of their bullpen spots filled with quality arms. However, that still leaves two spots open in a seven-man relief corps.

When it comes to deciding how to fill out those final two spots, the Tigers will certainly have a few interesting options there as well. After Neftali Feliz and Al Alburquerque were non-tendered earlier this month, the best bet to win one of those spots could very well be Drew VerHagen. The 25-year-old VerHagen pitched to the tune of a 2.05 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and a 74.7 percent ground ball rate with the Tigers last season, which may have very well made a lasting impression.

There is also Bruce Rondon to consider as well. Obviously, fans have been waiting for Rondon to show that he is capable of stepping into a major role for a couple of years now. He has also battled injuries and was sent home early last September due to issues with his effort level. That said, he is still only 25 years old and still has an upper-90s fastball.

Other names to consider might include Shane Greene, Kyle Ryan, Kyle Lobstein, Matt Boyd, Angel Nesbitt and perhaps even Michael Fulmer (who is currently ranked as the Tigers’ No. 1 prospect by MLB.com). To put it simply, the Tigers’ options should be plentiful in this regard, and it should be a lot of fun to see what happens in Spring Training.

At any rate, it is certainly beginning to look like the Tigers have built the foundation for a rather solid bullpen in 2016. It still remains to be seen how everything will work out, but it is certainly beginning to look quite promising on paper.

Maybe, just maybe, this could turn out to be one of the Tigers’ better bullpens in recent memory.

Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google