Tigers To Sign Joe Nathan
By Steve Adams [December 3, 2013 at 10:55am CST]
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/12/tigers-to-sign-joe-nathan.html
The Tigers are in agreement with Joe Nathan on a two-year deal, according to
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
The 39-year-old Nathan is coming off one of the finest seasons of his storied
career, having pitched to a 1.39 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 64 2/3
innings with the Rangers in 2013. Nathan added 43 more saves to his resume,
tying him for 10th all-time with the legendary Rollie Fingers at 341. In his
free agent profile of Nathan six weeks ago, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted
that the active Major League saves leader would and a two-year deal worth
$26MM.
Nathan will fill a void that the Tigers were unable to fill early in the 2013
season when Bruce Rondon, Phil Coke and Jose Valverde were unable to solidify
the ninth inning. Though this year's free agent market is rife with closer
types