Complete Coverage On The Tigers
Jose Valverde signs a minor league deal with the Tigers
The Tigers grand bullpen experiment — which really isn’t a closer-by-committee thing — will apparently not last indefinitely:
Valverde will not join the big club immediately, Reusse reports. He’ll presumably go to Lakeland to throw some and then, eventually, find his way to Toledo. And if the Phil Coke/Joaquin Benoit follies continue, Papa Grande — who saved 35 games last year but proved unreliable down the stretch and ultimately lost his job in the playoffs — will be dancing his way across a diamond near you soon.
But the Tigers need to act on him soon: his contract has an opt-out clause dated May 5. Meaning if Valverde is not on the big club by then, he becomes a free agent again.(NBC Sports)
Tigers release outfielder Brennan Boesch after trying to move him in trade
The Detroit Tigers gave Boesch his unconditional release, general manager Dave Dombrowski announced this morning.
Dombrowski said he spoke with a half-dozen teams who were interested in Boesch but could not find a trade partner for him. The deadline to release Boesch and pay just one-sixth of his 2013 salary was today.
Boesch was eligible for arbitration in the offseason but avoided a hearing by agreeing to a $2.3 million contract for the 2013 season. The Tigers are on the hook for less than $400,000 of that. Cutting Boesch between Thursday and Opening Day would have required the Tigers to pay Boesch one-quarter of his salary. (MLive).
Jhonny Peralta’s name found in records of doctor linked to PED scandal
Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta is named in the records of Tony Bosch, the director of the Biogenesis wellness clinic in Coral Gables, Fla., that is the target of an MLB investigation into performance-enhancing drugs, according to sources familiar with the records.
Peralta brings to 12 the number of baseball players connected to Boschs notes, and adds to one of the two threads that have emerged in the Biogenesis case: Peralta is the fifth client of the ACES agency of Seth and Sam Levinson and with an association with Juan Nunez, a former runner for the agency, to be connected to clinic records…Peralta does not appear to be directly tied to PEDs in the records, as was also the case with Montero. The Levinsons referred comment to an attorney for Peralta, Barry Boss, who released this statement on behalf of Peralta: “I have never used performance enhancing drugs. Period. Anybody who says otherwise is lying.” (SI.com)
Report: Tigers, Anibal Sanchez agree to terms
The Detroit Tigers will re-sign right-handed pitcher Anibal Sanchez, according to multiple national baseball writers.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale later tweeted that the sides have agreed at five years and $80 million, and several other reporters confirmed the report within minutes.
Talk of a Tigers vs. Chicago Cubs bidding war for Sanchez started Thursday night.
If the numbers are true, Sanchez will be making more money than ace Justin Verlander, who signed a five-year, $79.5-million contract three years ago. (Detroit Free Press)
Tigers sign backup catcher Brayan Pena
The Tigers shored up their catching depth by signing free agent Brayan Pena to a one-year contract Monday. The club also designated left-hander Matt Hoffman for assignment.
Pena, 30, hit .236 with 10 doubles, two home runs and 25 RBIs in 68 games with the Royals last season. He hit .320 with runners in scoring position.
“We are pleased to add an experienced catcher like Brayan Pena to our club,” Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. “As a switch-hitter, he will serve as a solid complement to Alex Avila as our backup catcher for the 2013 season.” (tigers.com)
