This week on Papa Grande watch:
Tigers have signed Valverde to a minor league contract. He will report to Lakeland. #tigers
— Brian Britten (@BBritten_Tigers) April 4, 2013
A little over 12 hours after the Tigers blew Game 2 of their season in the 9th inning, Dave Dombrowski went out and picked up last year's closer on a minor league deal.
Maybe the timing is merely a coincidence, maybe it's not, but honestly, this is not a bad deal considering Valverde was making $9 million a year ago. If he rediscovers himself, he can be quality (cheap) depth to the big team's bullpen. If he continues to be mashed potato, he'll stay in the minors or get his red slip.
The move, given the timing, certainly smacks of desperation and may even scream that the Tigers were mistaken with how they handled their "closer" situation during the offseason, but all in all, it's not that big of a deal. Mkay.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!