Oct. 2, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Rafael Soriano (29) pitches during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Yankees win 4-3 in 12 innings. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Tigers can’t possibly be content with sending rookie Bruce Rondon out to close games, can they? Scott Boras will certainly schedule a meeting with Tigers’ owner Mike Ilitch, show him “the binder” on Rafael Soriano, and walk out with a check.

That seemed to be the sentiment from many of the national baseball writers. We can’t completely fault them for holding onto this belief – there are indications that perhaps the Price Fielder signing came about in a similar fashion – but “team sources” had been adamant that the Tigers weren’t in on the veteran reliever.

Dave Dombrowski has since admitted that the two sides talked at one point this offseason, but it was apparently nothing beyond due diligence. Chris Iott had a quote on MLive yesterday afternoon:

“We never made him an offer,” Dombrowski said Tuesday afternoon via text message, “and our conversations were exploratory, like any other free agent.”

So Dombrowski and the Tigers did explore the possibility of adding Soriano to the bullpen, but that’s kind of his job. General managers don’t just explore the players they’re going to sign, they explore pretty much any player that could possibly be a fit.

Soriano would have made the 2013 Tigers better. Possibly a great deal better. But the Tigers very clearly didn’t want to sink Scott Boras-type money – and their first round draft pick – on a relief arm.

Yesterday it was announced that Soriano had signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Washington Nationals. Also included in the deal is a $14 million vesting option for a third year. If we allow for the fact that the monetary value of the late first round pick the Nationals are losing is something like $4 million, it’s easy to see why the Tigers would have been scared off by the cost of the deal.

Not that the Tigers are scared of spending money – they’ve proven otherwise – but you can’t blame them for shying away from the highly-priced “proven closer” market after witnessing what they’re last one did (or didn’t do) in the postseason (and that would be get outs).

That’s certainly commendable, even if it shows a lack of concern for the future payroll of the Tigers franchise.

Now, I don’t want to jump the gun at this point. A conversation certainly doesn’t mean a signing. I’m not expecting the Tigers to sign Soriano. However, it would be irresponsible of us to just ignore it. We have seen this before from the Tigers owner and Scott Boras. The Tigers have signed multiple Boras clients to big money deals, almost to the point where it seems the Tigers are Boras’ go to team. That might enrage some fans, but it shouldn’t. Boras is just a real good advocate for his players, and if the Tigers wanted to go another route, they could always do so. The thing is, Boras represents some real good players, and having a good working relationship with him, like the Tigers seem to have, is certainly not a bad thing.

When it comes down to it, Rafael Soriano is a real good pitcher.

Oct 11, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Rafael Soriano (29) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning of game four of the 2012 ALDS at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

I want to be up front. I am not a big believer in throwing a ton of free agency dollars at relievers. Even real good ones like Soriano. I tend to believe that when you put a bunch of financial resources into a bullpen, it stops teams from using those resources on other parts of the team that are more important. Not only that, the very nature of relievers tends to be that they are up and down, and teams are often just as likely to get good performance from a no name pen as they are one filled with three or four big name free agents.

But my concerns about the use of resources, or anyone’s concerns really, don’t come into play with the Tigers right now. Mike Ilitch has repeatedly shown that money is no object right now, so it’s hard to believe that the Tigers wouldn’t be legitimate contenders to sign Soriano right now. The truth of the matter is there is a need.

There has been some talk of the Tigers giving the 2013 closer job to prospect Bruce Rondon. While Rondon is a very talented young man, he is a young man. The Tigers recent history suggests that they are looking for veterans to close out their games and Soriano fits the bill. Since 2005, Soriano has been real consistent for a reliever, posting an ERA above 3.00 only once, and that was his first year with the Yankees when he had some injury issues. Over the course of his career, Soriano strikes out more than a batter per inning, and has a lifetime ERA of 2.78. Those are impressive numbers, and for a team that is expected to contend for a World Series title, a closer of Soriano’s stature while not an absolute must, is a good thing to have.

Again, conversations don’t mean a thing. I am sure there are a lot of teams GM’s, or even owners contact players of Soriano’s caliber and their agents. However, when Mike Ilitch reaches out to Scott Boras, we can all see the smoke, and we just know that there is some fire there.

Bottom line is, Rafael Soriano would improve the Tigers roster, and at this point that is all I care about. My concerns about payroll and the Tigers future ability to keep players be damned. Push all those chips to the center of the table Mr. Ilitch…

Next up…Josh Hamilton.

Tigers are not interested in Soriano. Plan to stay in-house for closer, with hard-throwing 21-year-old Bruce Rondon getting chance at job.

— DKnobler (@DKnobler) November 9, 2012

Sept. 19, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Rafael Soriano (29) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Yanks won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Soriano declined his player option for the 2013 season that would have had the Yankees paying him $14 million (!), electing instead to become a free agent. It was thought that Soriano would turn down the deal to gain a deal with longer-term security at a lower annual rate, but apparently super agent Scott Boras is seeking a four year deal for his client that could total up to $60 million. That’s a ridiculous sum for a relief pitcher.

I think we all knew that the Tigers wouldn’t hand out that type of cash for a closer, but perhaps more interesting is the implication that they won’t pursue a “closer” at all on the free agent market. I’m certainly all for that idea, as “proven closers” often cost much more than they’re worth.

I had thought it was a near-certainty that Dave Dombrowski would pursue some sort of reliever in free agency (someone in the $1-$3 million range) – and he still might – but I’m not even sure about that anymore. The Tigers are likely set with five of their seven bullpen arms – Joaquin Benoit, Al Alburquerque, Octavio Dotel, Phil Coke, and Brayan Villarreal – and would likely fill another spot with one of Darin Downs, Luis Marte, or Duane Below, leaving only room for one more relief pitcher. That could be the rookie Bruce Rondon getting a chance to close, or it could be Jeremy Bonderman if he’s able to get his slider working, or it could be another of the three listed above.

If Detroit doesn’t add a relief arm in free agency, and Rondon isn’t able to win the closer job in the spring, then I’d like to see the Tigers eschew the “closer” idea altogether and simply play the best matchups in the late innings.