On Monday, I pondered if Jose Valverde was going to be this year's Orlando Hudson. Just three days later, the number of teams, who could potentially be interested in Valverde continues to wane: Two teams that I thought could have interest in Valverde seem to have moved in different directions:- Phillies: close to signing mystery pitcher (rumored to be Danys Baez)
- Angels: signed Fernando Rodney to a 2 year/$11 million dollar deal
One of the only teams left with a realistic chance to go after Valverde is the Tigers, who have now lost both Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon. But given the Tigers financial state, does anyone actually think they would pay Valverde more than $5-$6 million dollars in 2010? And would they be willing to surrender their first round pick?
At some point though, I think Valverde's price will fall into the range where the Tigers have to make a play for him, despite his type A status (a la Orlando Hudson last season). This process will take time for Valverde, but if the Tigers actually have money to spend, then they should be the team that Valverde should look to sign with (albeit for a cheap price).
