The Detroit Tigers have made no promises to Jose Valverde. The right-hander they call Papa Grande, who led the American League with 49 saves just two years ago, must prove he can still pitch well enough to warrant a spot in the back of their bullpen. But the Tigers, who don't have a set closer after letting the three-time All-Star become a free agent, took a step Thursday toward bringing Valverde back by agreeing to terms on a minor-league contract. After sending top prospect Bruce Rondon to Triple-A Rochester near the end of spring training, the Tigers decided to use a closer committee. Phil Coke picked up the save in the season opener Monday but blew a ninth-inning lead in Wednesday's loss to the Twins. "From my position, you don't leave any stone unturned," general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "You do whatever you can to make your club better. We do not have a dominant closer, and most clubs that have a chance to win have a closer. It doesn't mean that you can't win by mixing and matching, either. But right now we're in a situation where we're mixing and matching. And if the situation ends up being better with Papa Grande, with Rondon, with whomever ... we're open-minded." Read more http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9133834/detroit-tigers-sign-jose-valverde-minor-league-deal
