Jose Valverde remains unsigned and except for a report linking him to the Marlins that was immediately shot down as being fueled by agent Scott Boras there’s been little even linking him to teams.
That’s surprising, because while Valverde’s performance has clearly declined he did save 35 games last season and a league-leading 49 games in 2011. Once upon a time those save totals alone would have been enough to keep him employed, but the closer role has (rightfully) lost some of its mystique.
Meanwhile, the Tigers haven’t decided who’ll replace him as closer and when asked about Valverde’s status manager Jim Leyland told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that he’s “broken-hearted” and “totally shocked” to see him unsigned in mid-February.
Of course, presumably Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski consulted with Leyland before deciding not to re-sign Valverde and despite an uncertain ninth-inning situation the manager isn’t broken-hearted enough to make a late push to bring back Valverde.
