The closing situation for the Detroit Tigers has become an absolute mess in the span of just one week. Rewind 7 days ago and Bruce Rondon was basically still the guy. Today, things are clouded. How cloudy you ask? So dense that even Carlos Marmol’s name has popped up in trade rumors.
My fingers could barely type that. If Carlos Marmol is acquired by the Tigers then I think we’ll all be forced to resign our fan cards. What you don’t do to solve a problem is simply pay more for the exact same problem.
Todd Jones.
Fernando Rodney.
Jose Valverde.
Bruce Rondon
After you’ve had a few minutes to recover from the shakes after reading that rollercoaster of a list, consider that Marmol is probably an even worse offender than any of those three. He is the very definition of wild. He was so bad at times last year that he got removed from the gig while playing for the Cubs – the very same Cubs who had the 2nd worst record in baseball in 2012.
So let’s assume for the sake of pure sanity that Marmol isn’t happening. What next? Do the Tigers look internally for a fix or do they seek a trade?
MLB sources have confirmed that the Tigers are kicking tires to see what they can find. And while they’re doing this, most of the experts are snickering on their Twitter accounts that the Tigers should’ve done what they were suggesting all along, which was to add a high profile closer via free agency.
Detroit didn’t. Instead, they believed that Rondon would be able to pull the trick in a Craig Kimbrel sort of way. This week, Rondon has been working his mechanics on the side with Jeff Jones and is scheduled to pitch again on Friday. If he strikes out the side will all be well in Tiger Town? Probably not. He would need to rattle off a string of solid outings to erase the memory of his last two. But even then will the Tigers trust him for 6 months plus a postseason? That’s a tough request as everyone’s faith in Rondon has been tested by what they’ve seen so far.
But again, is it fair to expect him to be lights out mechanically in late February/early March? No. Nobody freaked out when Doug Fister got touched up but his track record backs up his in-season ability. Rondon doesn’t have that major league resume to fall back on.
Closers that are potentially available certainly don’t comprise a who’s who of stellar options. Valverde is one name. Detroit has thankfully rejected that notion. We’ve already discussed Marmol. Andrew Bailey has been mentioned but can never stay healthy. Francisco Rodriguez is also out of work, but for good reason. It’s a bad list.
Detroit has a bullpen full of guys who could close. It’s essentially a group full of setup-style pitchers. Joaquin Benoit and Octavio Dotel are veterans that Jim Leyland absolutely wants to keep in their comfort zones. Phil Coke, Brayan Villarreal, and Al Alburquerque are others names to consider.
The two that have been bantered about most consistently in the past few days have probably been Coke and Rick Porcello. The 24-year old Porcello has pitched so well this spring that Detroit might look foolish trying to move him via trade only to watch him step into his potential while wearing another uniform. Leyland has said that it is “highly unlikely” that Porcello will close. But that doesn’t mean it’s off the table.
Regarding Coke, what short memories some people have. Admittedly, Coke was brilliant in the playoffs last year but have you all forgotten his regular season performance? He had a 4.00 ERA and ghastly 1.65 WHIP. Righties hit .396 against him in 2012 and he only held lefties to a .263 mark. To me, Coke is far too erratic to be trusted in a consistent role as a closer.
Al Alburquerque
In my opinion, only two good options exist right now – Porcello or Alburquerque.
I have mentioned this several times recently but to move Porcello to the bullpen in any role other than closer would be a huge disappointment to him and a potentially damaging assignment for his career path. But I do think he can close, especially if that curveball I saw on Monday wasn’t a mirage.
Porcello has notoriously been a good pitcher the first time through a batting order, which is a great trait for a reliever to possess. He could also dial up his fastball to 95-96 in a 1-inning stint. It’s possible, and if they give the 5th starter spot to Drew Smyly, then it might even become likely.
Despite Porcello’s potential, I think Alburquerque should get a legitimate look. Detroit consistently questions his durability as he has had injuries both at the minor league level and dealt with an elbow issue that kept him out much of last year.
In parts of two seasons that basically add up to one full season worth of major league service time, Alburquerque has pitched 56.2 innings and struck out 85 hitters for an insane 13.5 K/9 inning rate. 9-11 K’s/9 is considered elite. He’s at 13.5. Lifetime, opponents are hitting just .140 off of him. Much like Rondon and Marmol, walks have been his one consistent flaw.
The Tigers talked themselves out of that issue in regards to it plaguing Rondon. I’m not sure the same argument isn’t even more compelling with Senor Slider. What’s the best way to mask a high walk rate? Strikeouts and not allowing hits. Nobody on Detroit’s roster does that better than Al. On top of all of that, he has a bit of a cocky streak, which is one tool most great closers have in their bag.
The urgency to trade for a closer right now completely eludes me. Give Alburquerque first crack at it. If he fails or gets hurt, which I don’t think he will, then make a move. Why make a rash decision now and trade for a low grade closer who doesn’t have an elite arsenal like Alburquerque does? Give the guy a chance.
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About Joe White
No way. Going out and trading/signing closers is the way of the past. Especially when the market is weak.
Consider AA maybe but he has the same issue w/ BB and ?’s about lingering injury. MR/LR is best suited for him.
Porcello, absolutely not. At this point in time it is too late to try and risk his value when teams are scouting him and are in dire need for SP. If the need for a trade arises it will weaken his appeal and trade return. Not to mention what it may do to his moral and his feelings of possible resentment towards the teams outlook on his value to the team. If he loses the 5th spot he has more value in long/middle relief. We also both know that early/late injury bug can hit Detroit’s SP while stretching out early April and when late season fatigue sets in. Max and Fister both needed a lil time to rest last season which slightly concerns me. Consider him a possible spot starter as well when you got nothing down south. Same goes for Smyly if he loses the 5th spot.
So who then? IMO #1 Coke,#2 Dotel,#3 Benoit.
Coke to me fits that mold of the 70′s closer. He has that bull headed, high energy that can pitch the 8th&9th.You can see it in his eyes he just wants to shut it down. He could not settle down as a SP and MR is just not his flow getting up and down. Yes his high energy is a concern that can lead to his known messy stats. That’s because MR is not where he belongs. If coaching can lead him to hitting his spots while mixing speed/eye level, and harness his energy this will be his roll/home in Detroit for years to come. To me it is clear as day Coke screams born closer.
Dotel, no need to get into as much detail here. A proven, been there, done that, get the job done, no frills, no thrills, veteran. The fall back guy.
Benoit, has experience and has the pitch set to be effective but his last year performance puts him at 3rd candidate for me.
As for Rondon he just needs to get more reps in Toledo while the staff works on his command and settling him into a high pressure roll. It is just too premature to throw him in as a closer where all of MLB knows his consistency to be erratic has not been fixed. The big boys will sit on his FB because 100-103 can be turned on and clobber if they aren’t already walking to first. With the red flags then and now waving high the chances of damaging this future beauty of a closer is just too high of a risk to damage from a rush.
At the end of the day the closer position is not a huge concern for me because I do believe there are many internal options that keep Detroit from looking outside of the club.
Its only March fans. Mr Leyland knows what he is doing and who he will use if Rondon is not ready this year. If he has to use a closer by committee strategy he will.
I kind of wondered why senior slider didn’t come up in earlier articles. He always seemed like a closer to me. Hopefully Ronjon steps up and all is well, there are worse options than big Al though.
Could not agree more Joe.
Let’s not sell the farm just to acquire a guy like Marmol. You have pointed out some good options, Porcello is very intriguing.