Christian Peterson/Getty Images[/caption]The Detroit Tigers are unsettled in their bullpen, the closer portion to be specific. After a horrible post-season in which he allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings during the playoffs, former closer Jose Valverde was shown the door.
The Tigers are committed to making rookie Bruce Rondon the closer. Right now, the Rondon experiment looks to be on shaky ground. Valverde hasn't been signed by anyone and he dropped out of the World Baseball Classic (Dominican Republic) for personal reasons.
Last month, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he was "shocked" that Valverde hasn't been signed by anyone. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has reported that Leyland is interested in bringing back Valverde as a safety net in case Rondon can't hold down the job.
Leyland is interested but Valverde actually returning is another story. I would not entertain that thought for one minute. If I'm looking for a safety net, try Brian Wilson on an incentive laden deal.
Bringing back Valverde would do nothing except damage his now fragile psyche after the epic collapse he endured last season. Imagine the chorus of boos raining down on him at Comerica Park. He doesn't need to be back in Detroit and the fans don't want him back.
