The good news is that the Detroit Tigers are 6-0 and lead the MLB with 47 runs scored. The bad news is that their bullpen is lacking a closer and already ranks in the bottom half of the league for ERA (3.68), which has been their problem over the past couple of seasons.
Tigers closer Joe Nathan hit the disabled list last week because of a Grade 1 flexor strain in his throwing elbow, and although he's eligible to return to action on April 22, it's unclear when he'll be back on the mound. He has been shut down for at least a week after he tried to play catch last Tuesday and still felt discomfort in his elbow.
"Fortunately everything came back real positive," Nathan told Chris Iott of MLive.com last week. "Structurally, everything looked good still."
As a result, the Tigers are "thought to be at least monitoring Rafael Soriano's Miami workouts at the Boras Sports Training Institute," according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The 35-year-old reliever went unsigned throughout the offseason and is still looking for a job after going 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.129 WHIP and 32 saves in 64 games with the Washington Nationals last season.
Rumors have suggested the right-hander has had multiple offers, but he has still yet to sign with a team.
"It's curious Soriano has had so much trouble getting a job, but a spotty past clubhouse rep may have hurt him (at least one team, which looked hard at late-inning relievers, eliminated him due to personality perception)," adds Heyman.
A number of teams in need of a reliever passed up on Soriano, but the Tigers may not have too much of a choice. Their thin bullpen consists of Joakim Soria, Joba Chamberlain, Ian Krol, Al Albuquerque, Tom Gorzelanny, Angel Nesbitt and Blaine Hardy. Some of that cast was responsible for the team's poor 2014 and 2013 postseason bullpen ERAs, which resulted in exits short of the World Series. General manager Dave Dombrowski was unable to significantly upgrade Detroit's cast of relievers after the bullpen finished 27th in ERA (4.29) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.01) during the regular season in 2014.
Nathan was knocked around last year following two consecutive All-Star campaigns with the Texas Rangers and finished with a 4.81 ERA and 1.534 WHIP despite notching 35 saves in 62 games. He maintained a 2.09 ERA and 0.977 WHIP with 80 saves in those two years with the Rangers. Even with Nathan's presence, the Tigers are in need of another established bullpen arm. Without him they are desperate for one.
Soriano could sign a deal in the next couple of weeks if bullpen woes continue to mount for a number of teams.
