Good night, Jose Valverde. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Mostly for opposing hitters:
This was inevitable. Valverde appeared in 20 games this season. His ERA is sitting at 5.59. He’s got nine saves but three blown saves and two day ago he was lit up like a pinball machine while doing mopup duty in a loss to the Orioles. Jim Leyland had clearly lost confidence in him. Heck, he only turned to him in the first place out of desperation.
It’s hard to see anyone wanting to take a chance on Papa Grande at this point. My guess is that he’ll be released outright by the Tigers in a few days and, at best, get a minor league deal from someone desperate for a live arm. A live arm which throws laser-straight fastballs and walks dudes at the worst possible time.
