As mentioned yesterday, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News had a “personal guess” that Tigers manager Jim Leyland was “scared stiff” at the thought of relying on rookie Bruce Rondon in the ninth innning. With an otherwise uninspiring back of the bullpen that includes Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke, and Octavio Dotel, it isn’t surprising to hear that Leyland wants Valverde back.
Valverde, who turns 35 years old on March 24, successfully converted 49 of 49 regular season saves in 2011, finishing with a 2.24 ERA. He had markedly less success last season, as he converted 35 saves in 40 opportunities and finished with a 3.78 ERA. It was his post-season performance, though, that hurt him immensely. He allowed nine runs in four appearances spanning 1.2 innings.
Other unsigned relievers of note include Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez and Brian Wilson of beard fame.