Tigers looking for a closer

[Providence A's]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...512030355/1050

At this stage of the off-season a year ago, the Tigers had filled their void at closer by signing free agent Troy Percival. He received a two-year contract for $12 million.

The Tigers again are seeking a closer because of two prime factors:

Percival's career apparently ended with a midseason elbow injury.

And now it suddenly takes a lot more than $12 million to snag a free-agent closer, as shown by the three who have signed this off-season.

B. J. Ryan got the largest contract ever for a reliever ($47 million, five years) to leave Baltimore for Toronto.

Then Billy Wagner got the highest annual salary ever for a reliever ($10.75 million a year for four years) to leave the Phillies for the Mets. Then Tom Gordon, 38 and a Yankees setup man, agreed to take $18 million for three years from the Phillies to replace Wagner.

The Tigers remain interested in some of the remaining free-agent closers, president Dave Dombrowski said Friday without identifying any.

The remaining group includes a trio of right-handers who had at least 40 saves each last season: San Diego's Trevor Hoffman, Cleveland's Bob Wickman and Florida's Todd Jones, the former Tiger.

[Fishercat]

I hate, hate giving relievers big deals unless they have sustained success. Wagner, and to a lesser extent Ryan, are proven, at least in that they have the stuff that even if they have bad luck, they'll survive and perhaps have a 3 ERA instead of a 2. The RPs just pitch so few innings that luck can severely affect the stats and their reliance on other RPs can't help either. When you have guys like Foulke, Rivera, Wagner, Hoffman, even Lidge, Ryan, etc., then giving them a big deal is relatively low risk. However, when I see someone like Bob Wickman or Todd Jones on the list of the best closers available, that's scary. Wickman's been either very good (01, 05) or decent (02, 04), and giving Wickman 3 years or 15 million or whatever means you could be getting 3 years of workhorse RP or 3 years of average RP. Jones is even worse, ranging from below average (2004) to exceptional (2005) in a single year, and he'll get good money.

[RockSports17]

I just hate in general how bad the whole market has gotten. Dodgers just offered Furcal 3 yrs, 39 million. 13 million a yr? Do baseball players need that much to play a game? I think not. It's truly only a matter of time until a salary cap will need to be put into place. We're talking about a game where players used to get paid barely anything.

[Providence A's]

the money getting out of control has been an issue for a while for sure...that being said, how is BJ Ryan established Fisher? Or even in the same category as some of the other you named? He was closer for 1 year and had a good year or two before that as a setup man / leftie specialist. I'm not saying he won't do well, but a 5 year deal?!?! At $47 million? Crazy...The Tigers could go after, like everyone else in need of a cheap closer, Octavio Dotel.

[RockSports17]

The one reason I don't see Tigers going after Dotel is because Tigers probably believe that Dotel will get a huge deal from somebody and don't want to get into some type of bidding war (IE: Furcal). I would like to see Todd Jones back in Det for the right price, if not him then Wickman.

[Fishercat]

Established was a bad word. I should say he is more likely to succeed since his K rate skyrocketed as he became an elite performer.

[Providence A's]

Update on Percival

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...602200310/1129

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The skies Sunday were as cloudy as. … well, as Troy Percival's future.

But that doesn't stop Percival, the Tigers reliever, from preparing for the season as if he's going to be part of it.

For instance, in one drill at spring training, Percival simulated throwing a pitch to the plate, then fielded a groundball hit back to the mound. It's one of the standard drills for pitchers in spring training -- and Percival didn't look out of place at all.

It's not until he has to throw that the current overcast of his career gets noticed.

Recovering from an arm injury that probably would have resulted in surgery if he'd been younger, Percival, 36, doesn't know if he'll be on or off the roster this season, or even if he'll ever be able to pitch again.

Some players, maybe even most, would be fretting about that. There's no such alarm with Percival. He can read the tea leaves. He knows his odds aren't exactly favorable.

But he's here to see if he can be of any help at all this season -- and because he loves the hope, the promise, the entire package of optimism that pervades spring training.

Plus, he signed a two-year contract before last year to pitch for the Tigers, and he's not going to say he can't until he knows he can't. You never know until you try, in other words.

"With my knowledge and the stuff I have right now," he said, "I can compete."

I dunno...do the Tigers have any upcoming pitchers that could fill his spot in the bullpen Rocksports? What do you think about him trying to play?

[RockSports17]

If the guy is healthy and gets cleared by doctors, then sure why not. I'd be happy with him back. I surely don't see him back in the closers role, more of a MR, set up possibly, type of guy. Never can have too many relievers.

As I see it, we have a nice bullpen as of now (Expection being Todd Jones, our closer).

Rodney, Spurling, German, Jamie Walker, Roman Colon (Hopefully he sticks as a RP, and doesn't go into the rotation. I didn't like him too much as a starter.)

As for youngsters, I'm not too huge with knowing the farm systems. I do know that we have some decent pitchers in our farm, but have no real clue if any of them are ready. I'm sure we'll see some young pitchers in ML, Domb. has always liked to rush pitchers up to the ML level.

[Saber]

Why would Detroit need a closer?

[RockSports17]

With Troy Percival being injury prone, they needed to fill that space. So they signed Todd Jones over the offseason.

[HafDawg2003]

I'll trade you David Weathers for Jeremy Bonderman

[RockSports17]

lol. Throw in some balls & bats, it's a deal.

[General]

Perhaps the MLBPA should consider the cap, for good of the sport.


Oh wait, they don't give a rat's ass about the sport.

[HafDawg2003]

You drive a hard bargain, Rock, but its a deal. We'll send along, complimentary of course, a signed copy of "The Big Red Machine" team photo and Joe Nuxhall, because we hear you lost your aging broadcaster.

[RockSports17]

You drive a hard bargain, Rock, but its a deal. We'll send along, complimentary of course, a signed copy of "The Big Red Machine" team photo and Joe Nuxhall, because we hear you lost your aging broadcaster.

lol. You can keep Nuxhall, but we'll take that team photo. We can blow it up and show the Tigers what a winning team looks like.......