MLB Rumors: Jose Valverde
I think a lot of those in and around the game saw this coming, but here it is -- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports Thursday that the Detroit Tigers are pushing hard to add some bullpen help, despite the club's relief corps pitching very well as a unit and Jose Valverde getting the job done in the ninth inning.
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Detroit Tigers skipper Jim Leyland almost ended the suuspense. He almost named a closer. Jason Beck of MLB.com reported Wednesday that Leyland says Joaquin Benoit is the most equipped to handle the ninth inning. Matter settled, right?
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Veteran reliever Jose Valverde signed a minor league deal to return to the Detroit Tigers, but the club has no commitment to Valverde in terms of a big-league roster spot, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck.
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The Toronto Blue Jays are still looking to add a relief pitcher and CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman tweeted earlier this winter that the club wants a setup man capable of closing. Such an arm shouldn't be too difficult to find, but the free agent market has thinned of such veteran relievers with ninth-inning experience.
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With Kyle Lohse having signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, the game's top remaining free agent is reliever Jose Valverde, formerly of the Detroit Tigers. Unlike Lohse, Valverde will not require the signing club to surrender a draft pick, yet there has been very little interest of which to speak.
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The Detroit Tigers have been planning on giving prospect Bruce Rondon the first shot to serve as their closer in 2013, which means they'd be handing narrow leads to a 22-year-old with just nine games experience above Double-A baseball. This concept has drawn questions from fans and media, but the club is sticking to their guns, writes Lynn Henning of the Detroit News.
Such a stance kept the club from considering free agents Rafael Soriano, Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria and Kyle Farnsworth. The Tigers also decided against trading for Joel Hanrahan, who went to the Red Sox.
While former Giants closer Brian Wilson, who's recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, has been mentioned as a possibility, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that Wilson wants to close -- and the Tigers can't make that promise right now.
Such a stance kept the club from considering free agents Rafael Soriano, Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria and Kyle Farnsworth. The Tigers also decided against trading for Joel Hanrahan, who went to the Red Sox.
While former Giants closer Brian Wilson, who's recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, has been mentioned as a possibility, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that Wilson wants to close -- and the Tigers can't make that promise right now.
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It's Groundhog Day and just as folks in cold places are reportedly getting some relief from the winter months with the promise of an early spring, several baseball teams are hoping to have some more relievers in tow as spring training begins in a few weeks.
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Scott Boras finally found a taker for Rafael Soriano when the Nationals gave the reliever a two-year, $28 million contract last week. Finding a similar contract for another of his bullpen clients – Jose Valverde – will involve a steeper climb.
Boras tells the Detroit Free Press that he expects the market for Valverde to pick up now that Soriano is signed and the bullpen market has thinned out. But any team will be looking for a discount following Valverde’s disastrous postseason for the Detroit Tigers (nine earned runs, 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings).
One thing Boras has is patience, and he knows the market picks up once a team suffers an injury.
Remember, it was an injury to Victor Martinez that opened the door for Boras to get a nine-year, $214 million deal for Prince Fielder last January. Boras blames Valverde's problems on overwork the last two seasons, making it unlikely he will accept a bargain-basement deal, at least not right now.
Boras tells the Detroit Free Press that he expects the market for Valverde to pick up now that Soriano is signed and the bullpen market has thinned out. But any team will be looking for a discount following Valverde’s disastrous postseason for the Detroit Tigers (nine earned runs, 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings).
One thing Boras has is patience, and he knows the market picks up once a team suffers an injury.
Remember, it was an injury to Victor Martinez that opened the door for Boras to get a nine-year, $214 million deal for Prince Fielder last January. Boras blames Valverde's problems on overwork the last two seasons, making it unlikely he will accept a bargain-basement deal, at least not right now.
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Last winter, the Toronto Blue Jays traded for Sergio Santos to be their closer. The move didn't work out well, though, as the right-hander missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. That seems to be giving the club some pause about whether Santos can be counted on.
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