It has been an eventual six months for Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Jose Valverde, who had a miserable playoff season, ended his connection to the team, was re-signed to a minor-league contract, and returned to the Tiger lineup Wednesday night. Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Well, this was unlikely. Jose Valverde, who became so contagious during the playoffs in October that no other member of the Detroit Tigers wanted to even sit near him in the bullpen or the dugout lest they catch something that would ruin their careers, was back in a game for the Detroit Tigers Wednesday night.

Valverde set down the Kansas City Royals 1-2-3 in the ninth inning of a Tiger victory. Good for him.

I’m happy for Valverde. The Tigers not only gave up on him temporarily in October, which was understandable the way he was throwing, but that they gave up on him for good rather than try to work with him to fix what went wrong seemed iffy strategy. For all its glamor professional sports can also be cruel.

As recently as 2011, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Dominican was just about the best reliever in the game with his virtually untouchable 49-save season. Then, before you know it, he was a leper.

Not a single team in Major League baseball even sneezed in Valverde’s direction during the off-season. No one said hello, never mind offered him a contract. Even that old softie Jim Leyland, the Tigers’ manager, was astonished–and a bit saddened–by what was happening to his ex-pitcher.

But Tiger management anointed inexperienced Bruce Rondon as the closer of the future and even though he had a rocky spring training he was the go-to man at the start of the season. I never actually thought this was Leyland’s idea, that it was more like him playing with the cards he was dealt.

It didn’t take long for it to become obvious the Rondon commitment was a mistake. Rondon was sent to the minors. Meanwhile, the Tigers signed Valverde to a minor-league deal. It only took about three weeks for the Tigers to realize that they had no closer at all on the big-league club. Phil Coke, the set-up man, was handling the job by default, getting battered and losing games as the closer, so that was no solution.

Teams that plan to win pennants, which the Tigers certainly do, must have a reliable closer. History has shown us that you can’t get away with a hole in the lineup in that position come October. A few days ago, admitting a certain kind of defeat, the Tigers brought up both Valverde and Rondon from the minors and sent them to the bullpen together.

The general feeling after October was that Valverde, who was a free agent, would never grace the mound for Detroit again.While he had a body of good, and sometimes great, work on his resume for the Tigers, it was felt that had all been squandered by his playoff meltdown. I thought that was a hasty judgment, but if the Tigers lost faith and believed that their fans would rip Valverde apart, then so be it.

Even if you think that was the right course, Detroit’s major mistake was not adequately replacing Valverde. The American League representative in the World Series needed to trade for or buy a well-regarded closer on the open market for them to be taken seriously in this year’s pennant race. They didn’t do that and hence the April mess they found themselves in.

There would be tremendous irony if Valverde regains his form and becomes a top closer again, helping Detroit to another pennant. Now that he has another chance it’s up to Valverde. He’s gone from dead man walking in this business to potential savior. Yes, baseball, like the world at large, works in mysterious ways.

Relief prospect Bruce Rondon will join the Tigers bullpen but won’t be closing games out, at least initially. (Image Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Having entered the season as the popular favorite in the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers find themselves in the middle of the pack just a few weeks into the season and have taken some steps towards strengthening their bullpen with a pair of moves on Tuesday. Former closer Jose Valverde and future closer Bruce Rondon have both been added to the team’s active roster in separate moves.

Rondon’s addition was the team’s first move of the day, following an announcement that Octavio Dotel would need to head to the DL thanks to inflammation in his right elbow. Rondon was recalled to take his place after a dominant start to his season at Triple-A. In seven appearances for the Toledo Mudhens Rondon has thrown 7.2 IP, allowing just five hits (all singles) and a pair of walks while striking out nine (10.6 K/9). Initially it’s expected that Rondon will be worked into the late-inning mix, but he likely will not be asked to close games right out of the gate. He was viewed as the team’s likely closer entering Spring Training, but struggles with his command and composure ultimately led the team to start him back in the minor leagues to begin the season.

Valverde’s return is a different situation. The team’s former closer spent most of the offseason waiting on the open market for a call that never came. It has seemed clear throughout the winter that a return to Detroit was out of the question, given the right-hander’s struggles and collapse during the playoffs, but as he remained available and the team continued along without a bona-fide closer on the roster, suddenly the idea of a reunion wasn’t such an odd one. Valverde initially re-joined the Tigers on April 4th, signing a minor league deal that carried an opt-out clause if he wasn’t on the Major League roster by early May. The deal did not carry any provisions covering when/if he were to be recalled. Early Tuesday evening the team announced a new one year deal with Valverde, in conjunction with an announcement that he’ll be joining the team in Detroit by Wednesday. Valverde is expected to step right into the closer’s role. Brayan Villarreal was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Valverde.

Between Valverde, Joaquin Benoit, and Phil Coke the Tigers will have three players on their active roster with closing experience (though Benoit and Coke have both struggled in the role thus far this season). Add in Rondon and Al Alburquerque and that’s the making of a fairly strong bullpen (at least on paper). If the Tigers are going to compete again this season – and fare better in the postseason than they did in last year’s World Series – they’ll need consistent production from the group throughout the year.

Jose Valverde seemed destined to leave the Tigers organization this winter, but ended up returning on a minor league deal this morning. (Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

One of the last remaining free agents has finally signed a contract and landed with a new team, only in this case that new team is actually the same one he’d spent the past three seasons with. Former Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde has signed a minor league deal to return to the organization, after a reunion seemed almost assuredly like it was not going to happen, according to 1500 ESPN’s Patrick Reusse.

Valverde will report to the team’s Spring Training complex in Lakeland initially. Plans beyond that remain unclear, but Tom Gage of the Detroit News reports that Valverde’s deal contains an out clause, allowing him to become a free agent if he’s not on the team’s MLB roster by May 5th.

Over the past three seasons with Detroit, Valverde has been mostly reliable working out of the back of the team’s bullpen. He’s appeared in 206 games for the team over that stretch, saving 110 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.199 WHIP. His 2011 season, in particular, was a standout campaign. He led the league with 75 appearances, going a perfect 49-for-49 in save opportunities. He’d make the All Star team and finish in the Top 5 in Cy Young voting. Valverde’s peripheral stats during his Tigers career aren’t overly impressive – 7.9 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 – but he’s generally been able to get the job done anyways when called upon.

That is until this past postseason, of course. Valverde imploded. He’d allow 9 earned runs in just 2.2 IP. By the time the team reached the World Series he’d been replaced as the team’s closer and his departure from Detroit appeared all but certain.

The Tigers appear to going with a bullpen by committee this season, having spent most of the offseason fighting off questions surrounding the team’s perceived plan to use Bruce Rondon in the closer’s role. Rondon needs more minor league seasoning before taking on such a role, so the opportunities are mostly going to be shared between Phil Coke and Joaquin Benoit initially. Should Valverde throw well in the minor leagues and should the team’s MLB bullpen falter, a return prior to the opt out date could be a real possibility.

(Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

The other night I was eating dinner with an old friend talking about the upcoming Major League baseball season. He is not a Tigers fan, but like Jim Leyland, manager of the American League pennant winners, he couldn’t believe that no one wanted to sign free agent reliever Jose Valverde.

Leyland, who must be Valverde’s biggest fan in the game, a couple of weeks ago expressed astonishment that teams weren’t waving wads of cash at his former closer, and now he has said he wants to take him back.

This is like one of those up-and-down boy-girl relationships where things were great for a long while, then things went off the rails, and now the duo wants to block out the stormy times, remember the good times, and hope that allows them to patch things up. As my friend said, Hey, anyone can have a bad week.

Of course, Valverde picked a lousy time to have that off-week–during the post-season. He blew a save against the Oakland A’s and he blew a save against the San Francisco Giants. October is a very inconvenient month to blow saves because usually you can’t make up for them.

Players do get measured by their performances in the playoffs and World Series and if they falter the mistakes can haunt them for a lifetime. It takes a tough athlete to rebound from high-exposure failures partially because he failed in the clutch and partially because even the hint of backsliding means the local fans with long memories won’t let him have amnesia. It helps if the player has a history to fall back on and Valverde has 277 career saves and in 2011 the right-hander went a perfect 49 for 49 in save opportunities.

All of that said, it seems that both Valverde and the Tigers can benefit from him being brought back and Leyland, the old, wise head in the mix, knows it.

Valverde, who is from the Dominican Republic, is 34, so he is not too old. He has been a three-time All-Star. While with the Arizona Diamondbacks he led the National League in saves twice. In 2011, he led the American League in saves for the Tigers. He has had lights out stuff and it is not hard to believe that he will again.

Naturally, cost will be an issue. How much money do the Tigers want to invest in an insurance policy? They have already designated someone else, Bruce Rondon, as the closer for 2013. But the crazy lives of short relievers being what they are any number of things can happen to disrupt the reliance on the new guy (just ask Valverde how swiftly things can change).

Rondon could get hurt. Rondon could fizzle as the closer.  (So far, in spring training, Rondon has shown that might happen.) Valverde could regain the magic in his arm. Detroit is figuring on being back in the playoffs and when it comes to the playoffs you can never have too many reliable parts in the bullpen. Valverde needs to regain his confidence and this is the best place for him to get well for a year.

Even if he works as a setup man for a season and displays top form Valverde can get a better job next year and he may yet help the Tigers to the World Series title they missed out on in 2012. So the best thing for all as Leyland musters the troops for a last chance before he retires is to sign him up.

Valverde spent the first five years of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. During that time period, he fluctuated as middle reliever, setup man and eventually, as closer. His final year in Arizona (2007) he led the NL in saves with 47. That offseason, he was traded to the Houston Astros for Chris Burke, Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls, the latter of which would eventually serve as the Diamondbacks closer a few years later. Valverde flourished in Houston, leading the NL in saves for the second consecutive year (2008) with 44 and finishing his two year stint in Houston with a total of 69 saves.

Valverde was labeled as a Type A free agent following the 2009 season. The Astros offered him salary arbitration, which he declined, meaning that if he were to sign with another team, the Astros would receive that teams first round pick and a sandwich pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds of the 2010 MLB Draft. Valverde eventually signed  a two-year, $14 million deal, with a third year team option for $9 million with the Tigers. The Astros received their first round pick (19th overall), which they used on high school SP, Michael Foltynewicz and a sandwich pick (33rd overall) which they used on 3B/C, Mike Kvasnicka.

Valverde’s Tigers career was superb. He led the AL in saves in 2011 with 49 and wrapped up a perfect season in which he did not blow a single save all year. He was a stabilizing figure in the Tigers bullpen and helped the Tigers through their playoff chase and World Series run.

The Tigers want Valverde back but only at their price. The veteran reliever is still holding out hope for a closer’s job, although, at this point, he likely realizes that he will need to settle for a major league contract with an opportunity for saves.

Mandatory Credit: Ben Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Valverde saw his K/9 rate plummet a  year ago, from 8.6 the prior season all the way down to 6.3 in 2012. Worse, that downward trend has actually been in effect since 2007 — his strikeout rate has dropped by various amounts each successive season since, and it doesn’t appear to be done yet based on last year’s alarming decline. These lower rates are accompanied by a dip in fastball velocity, with last season’s 93.3 more than 2 MPH slower than where it was in 2009.

To say that Valverde is well into his decline state at 34 is not exactly up for debate, but he’s still a decent enough big league reliever. FanGraphs values his efforts last year as having been worth 0.8 WAR, and for a guy who throws 60 innings a season, that’s more than respectable. As long as the Mets are aware that Valverde’s best days are most likely behind him and compensate him accordingly, a deal could still be beneficial for the team. That said, he probably won’t deserve the closer mantle.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Oh Sandy, the Apple is rising behind us…Mets fans hope Papa Grande does not have to rub up shiny new baseballs often if Sandy Alderson brings him aborad for the 2013 season.

Valverde has been a solid closer for the Diamondbacks, Astros and Tigers since the 2007 season. He has led the league in saves three times, boasts a 1.18 career WHIP and an impressive .209 career batting average against.. His 2012 stat line was 35 saves/3.78 ERA/1.25 WHIP.

Battling financial constraints and a cynical fan base, Mets GM Sandy Alderson has done an admirable job rebuilding the Mets franchise from the Colonel Klink like leadership of Omar Minaya. Since becoming GM, Alderson has traded aging players for Top 100 prospects Zack Wheeler, Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard.

Mets fans should have reason for concern, however, when Alderson begins wasting away again in Jon Rauch-ville again, searching for retread relievers. The Mets already employ Jose Valverde lite, doughy Dominican closer Frank Francisco at a hefty sum of $6.5 million in 2013. Valverde’s strikeouts per inning and ERA rose last year, signalling a drop in velocity, and his batting average against rose to its highest mark since the 2006 season.

Papa Grande has had an underappreciated career, and would certainly be an upgrade over Frank Francisco and his 5.53 ERA in 2012. But Alderson should realize that Valverde profiles like ex-Amazins’ closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez when Minaya overpaid for his services before the 2009 season. His ratios trended downward in 2012. Given the probable state of the 2013 Mets, there is no reason to reward Valverde with a contract to match his sizable girth for past performance.

Dombrowski announced plans to build a winner in 2013. Image: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

The club today picked-up options on shortstop Jhonny Peralta and reliever Octavio Dotel for the 2013 season. Peralta’s contract will pay him $6 million next year and Dotel’s will cost the Tigers $3.25 million. Though Peralta struggled offensively during the regular season, he actually seemed to improve his defense as the season wore on and with a sparse free agent market for middle infielders, Peralta’s deal is actually quite a bargain.

Dombrowski went on to announce that the Tigers will not pursue closer Jose Valverde nor DH Delmon Young in free agency. With Victor Martinez expected back at full strength in 2013, Young wouldn’t fit in the Tigers plans unless he were to be used in left field. Dombrowski said the club views Young as a DH type, which is likely what young will hear from other clubs as he looks for his next contract. Hey, I hear the Astros are in the market for a DH.

In Valverde, the Tigers were likely moving on long before the post-season meltdown that cost Papa Grande his ninth-inning job. The Tigers have a host of power arms in their bullpen already, all of them more effective that Valverde at this point in his career. Dombrowski also mentioned young right hander Bruce Rondon as a potential replacement in the closer’s role next year, saying the club had given serious consideration to bringing the fireballer up late in August in order to use him during the playoffs.

Rondon will be in the mix to close games for Detroit next year, but Dombrowski noted that the club may stay with a bullpen-by-committee plan that they used after Valverde fell apart in October.

Catcher erals Laird was also informed, by Dombrowski, that he should pursue other opportunities for increased salary and playing time. While Dombrowski didn’t close the door on Laird’s return, he did say that the club would be satisfied with Bryan Holaday backing up Alex Avila.

The only one of the four Tigers free agents they do have plans to pursue is right hander Anibal Sanchez, who was acquired mid-season from Miami. Sanchez will be one of the bigger off-season prizes on the market, so competition for his services could be fierce. Still, when the Tigers identify their targets, Dombrowski and company usually strike quickly and aggressively. If Sanchez has any inclination to stick around in Motown, it sounds like the Tigers won’t try low-balling him. That’s not their game.

The Tigers could be involved in the trade market, especially if they are able to keep Sanchez. With a rotation already in place and a pair of young left handers in Drew Smyly and Casey Crosby knocking on the door, this could be the end of the road for right hander Rick Porcello, who has yet to develop a quality breaking ball to go with his dominant sinker. The Tigers will be in the market for a corner outfield bat or two and have been previously rumored to be interested in Texas slugger Josh Hamilton.

The general wisdom is to always try to keep in mind that most team cannot spend with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers. But the Tigers have an owner in Mike Ilitch who is in his 80s, is one of the richest men in the United States, and who has a desperate desire for a World Series Championship. All that adds up to a willingness to spend big, even irresponsibly, in order to try to seize that ring.

If the Tigers want to land a player, rest assured they’ll have the ammo to do so.

Valverde has been knocked around in his last two outings. Image: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

After blowing leads in each of the past two games in which he has appeared, Valverde won’t get an opportunity on Sunday. Leyland said that a 3 am meeting between his coaching staff and members of the Tigers’ front office ended with the decision that the Tigers would close by committee, at least for Game Two. Leyland did not commit to anything beyond Sunday’s game, but made a point to note Valverde’s importance to the club’s post-season chances.

Leyland said Valverde would work with pitching coach Jeff Jones on Sunday to address some mechanical issues. Valverde has said he’s 100 percent healthy and Leyland did not dispute that. Where the two men did disagree was when the topic of Valverde’s confidence was brought up. Leyland said Papa Grande looks as if he’s “waiting for something bad to happen” while on the mound.

The Tigers hold a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven ALCS against the New York Yankees and will look to take a commanding two-game lead on Sunday behind right hander Anibal Sanchez. New York, who will play their first post-season game without Derek Jeter since 1981, will turn to righty Hiroki Kuroda on short rest. Game Two has the feel of a must-win for the Yankees, who do not want to head to Detroit trailing by two games. Reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will start on Tuesday for the Tigers.

If the game gets to the ninth and the Tigers have a lead to protect, Leyland says he’s not sure who will get the opportunity to close out the game. right handers Octavio Dotel and Joaquin Benoit are veterans who have been in the position before, but young fireballer Al Alburquerque has the best pure stuff and shows a fearlessness that could be effective in the role. Alburquerque has yet to record a save in the major leagues.

Oct 13, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Jose Valverde (46) heads back to the dugout in the 9th inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the 2012 ALCS at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

When Valverde blew a Game Four lead in Oakland last week, the lead was gone before anyone even knew what was happening. The Tigers, to their credit, fought back and took the series anyway (thanks to Justin Verlander). On Saturday night, Valverde yielded a pair of two-run homers in the ninth, but the Tigers won thanks to Octavio Dotel and Drew Smyly, who held the Yankees off the scoreboard for three innings until the offense could reclaim the lead and seal the win.

What could have been a loss more devastating that perhaps any in the storied history of the franchise turned out to be a win. An unconventional win, but a win nonetheless.

The Yankees suffered not only a loss in Game One, but they’ll be without their heart and soul, shortstop Derek Jeter, for the remainder of the season thanks to a fractured ankle. The injury took place in the 12th inning. It never would have happened if not for another implosion from Valverde.

Now, Valverde appears to be in serious jeopardy of losing his ninth inning job; a move which would probably help the Tigers’ chances of advancing past the Yankees almost as much as the loss of Jeter hurts the Yankees.

After the game, Leyland acknowledged the validity of the questions posed to him by reporters, but stated only that he and his coaching staff would have to discuss the situation before making any decisions about his closer. For those who have followed Leyland throughout his career, it was telling. If there wasn’t going to be a change made, he would have shot the questions down quickly; he would have bristled at the notion that he should display anything but patience.

Maybe if this were the regular season, that would fly. But in the post-season, where every game gets you one game closer to the World Championship or one game closer to going home, Leyland knows he cannot afford to sit idly by while Valverde serves up yet another would-be Tigers win to the opposition. His club was resilient in Game One, but losing ninth inning leads is a gut punch to the ball club and it clearly took the Tigers an inning or two to recover. They were very lucky to walk away with a win in this game, all things considered.

Assuming the change is made, and I am assuming that, the smart money is on the veteran Dotel to take over ninth inning duties. Joaquin Benoit is the primary set-up man, but he’s not especially comfortable closing games. By using Dotel instead, you get the added bonus of not having to upset the routine of more than one pitcher. Dotel has been used in middle relief by the Tigers this year, but has years of closing experience, most recently with the Pirates in 2010. Depending on matchups, left hander Phil Coke might also be given an opportunity to close.

If you’re looking a little deeper into the closing options, there are some candidates that offer intrigue. The southpaw Smyly showed on Saturday, in his first career playoff appearance, that he can handle the pressure of late innings in the Bronx in October. Right hander Al Alburquerque has better pure stuff, with a 97 mph fastball and devastating slider, but lacks control at tomes. Starter Rick Porcello is another option. He’s never pitched in relief during his regular season career, but he’s shown during his four post-season relief outings that he can be effective in short relief.

Leyland said during his post-game presser than answers will be provided in his pre-game session on Sunday.

The only real question left in my mind is whether or not Valverde has been pitching hurt. His motion into the set position have been decidedly different in his last two outings that they had been throughout the regular season. If he’s got an injury, the clubs could make a move to replace him on the roster. Doing in the midst of a series, however, would render Valverde ineligible for the World Series, should the Tigers advance that far.

Jim Leyland is extremely loyal to his players. Even if there is a minor injury, I doubt Leyland would want to remove Valverde from the roster and prevent the possibility of redemption down the road. Given the way Valverde has performed lately, however, the best move for the Tigers is clearly to keep Valverde as far away from the mound as possible going forward.