The Tigers are open to re-signing Jeremy Bonderman, but not on a major league deal. GM Dave Dombrowski told Tom Gage of the Detroit News that he would consider bringing the longtime Tiger back to Detroit.
Bonderman's four-year, $38MM extension just expired, so the 28-year-old is a free agent for the first time. The eight-year veteran is coming off a season in which he posted a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 171 innings. Bonderman had shoulder surgery in 2008 and missed most of the 2009 season as he recovered.
The Rangers, Cardinals, Yankees, Rockies, Cubs and Pirates have been linked to Bonderman this offseason. About 17% of over 15,000 MLBTR readers say Bonderman is the best remaining free agent starter. Click here to cast your vote.
Epic fail.
If he’d take a minor league deal, why not? Probably wouldn’t though
If he doesn’t retire, he’ll have to take a minor league deal from someone. That’s not the issue. The issue is whether he’d actually go to the minors if he doesn’t make a ballclub. And the answer to that question, I suspect, is no.
NO DEAR LORD NO! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!
I’d gladly take back Bondo in Detroit if he is willing to take a minor league deal and know where his role will lie and take the correct money for it. He has potential and gas left in the tank, he just needs to keep healthy. This kid was amazing as he grew up and I think he still has it left. Just don’t OVERPAY for it…
In most states, Bonderman would already be jailed awaiting charges of grand larceny. Mike Ilitch paid him over $9M/year to do WHAT, exactly? Jeremy should pay the TIGERS to play next season. A joke. He’s DONE.
WHY THE HELL DID WE TRADE GALARRAGA IF WE PLANNED ON RESIGNING BONDERMAN!!!!!
It didn’t say that they are planning on re-signing him, just that they are open to doing so. Very different things.
Also, it is good to point out that we lost one of our long relievers this offseason (Bonine), and Bonderman could potentially come back to fill that role and make spot starts as Bonine did (along with Thomas) on several occasions.
I don’t know who they would DFA though, if anyone. Minor league deal is more likely in all realities.
Actually, planning on resigning Bonderman would be a reason to trade Galarraga.
Because Galarraga sucks and Bonderman has actually shown in the past that if he’s right he can be pretty consistently successful. It’s worth a risk on him if it’s a minor league deal.
I’m not opposed to this at all, seeing that it would be extremly cheap, and he WOULD NOT be competing for a starting spot. Basically he would fill the void left by Galaragga as a long reliever/spot starter. Not a bad move at all.
I don’t get all the negativity, he’s not being signed to start, and he’s not being signed for anything extravagant if the Tigers sign him, and he’s not going to be in the rotation if he’s signed, period. Bonderman, Galarraga, it doesn’t really matter who’s in that role, just as long as someone fills it and they’re cheap. I’d actually prefer Bondo to that type of role because, let’s be honest, he can eat innings, and he doesn’t nibble at the corners like Gally was so used to doing.
Tigers fans are sometimes the most bitter in baseball…I don’t understand this at all.
I agree completely . i dont understand it. i think theyre just tired of the futility of certain players. Inge, Bondo, etc. putting up with so many of those types. but whatever he’d be signed for (hypothetically) wouldnt be a make or break part of the team.
Well, being a Tigers fan since I moved to Michigan when I was four almost fourteen years ago, I can feel their pain, but I just continually see either fairweather fans writing the team off even after they sign Martinez, Benoit, Penny, or people continually wanting to get rid of Leyland when he’s clearly one of the best managers in the league, and definitely one of the best player’s managers at least. It just really upsets me to see a lot of negativity around the team no matter what the organization does to improve the team, and then when they start winning they jump on the bandwagon again.
Granted, I know this happens to every team, but I notice it moreso in Detroit than most places.
EDIT: I also agree with what you’re saying about Bonderman. And as for Inge, who else could the Tigers possibly have signed who would have done any better? Adrian Beltre? HA, like that was going to happen.
Given the difference in contracts, I’ll take Inge over Beltre.
EXACTLY what I was saying. I’m glad someone gets it. 🙂
I’m not a bitter fan really. Admittedly, I got back into baseball, and subsequently Tigers baseball, back in ’06 when they started doing well again. Before then, I had given up on the sport for about 5-6 years. But that team showed me what it was like to be a fan again, and gave me the reason to support my Tigers. Put it this way, I only lived in Detroit for 8 months after I was born. I’m 21 now, and I always say they’re my hometown team, even when I live in Milwaukee now.
I like Leyland, he’s vastly underrated. He makes questionable choices sometimes with the lineup, but I trust his judgement.
As for our signings, I’m apparently one of the few who thinks Benoit’s signing was a huge plus, and I’ve been hoping for Martinez since about last June – July when I saw his contract was coming up. Inge is Inge and I’ve come to realize not to expect tons from him other than home runs and solid defense. Bonderman though, is just hard to get passed. The only way I can think of describing him, is like Barry Zito without being paid all the money. They guy who had huge expectations and could never live up to it.
I consider myself a true Tigers fan, I don’t spell his name “Rayburn” after all. I haven’t written them off. The division this season is certainly within reach, we just need to avoid injuries. So take that as we will.
I completely agree with every point you just stated. I didn’t mean to direct that comment about bitter fans at anyone in particular. Don’t be offended if you thought I did. It’s just something I’ve noticed. I know you don’t necessarily need to care about whether or not you have my respect, but you have it buddy. Most true Tigers fans aren’t who I was referring to anyway.
And I can definitely appreciate the fact that you spell RABURN’s name right. lol 🙂
Nah, no big deal. Just wanted to clear up any confusion.
It’s not that we’re fairweather fans for critiquing the tigers, a lot of us at least. I critique the tigers harshly sometimes because i want them to win so badly that I sometimes find myself living and dying with every move.
Fair point. I wasn’t referring to you in particular, just the generic fan, don’t take offense to it if you feel like you’re something more.
Dear god no. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Hard to believe no NL second division team would give him a major league contract.
If he is truly required to take a minor league contract, he might as well take Detroit’s. Comerica is a good park for him, the Tigers are a good team, he’s been in Detroit since 2002 or so. If he starts the season in Toledo, which would mean no pitcher flamed out in Florida, he inevitably would be pitching in the bigs before Memorial Day. Give him some incentives and give him a chance….he’s certainly not a troublemaker.
The rotation appears to be Verlander, Scherzer, Porcello, Coke and Penny. The Bullpen is Valverde, Benoit, Perry, Zumaya, Weinhardt, Thomas and Schlereth barring bad springs.
Thomas and Weinhardt would be long men. Schlereth the lefty specialist. With Oliver and Turner being groomed as starters, and set for the minors, there is really little competition for the staff. Bonderman would provide some depth that is lacking, and possibly prevent the neccessity of starting Jacob Turners FA clock at the first injury.
Jacob Turner wouldn’t be the first person called up…believe that. I don’t think we’ll see him until next year at the earliest.
I didn’t expect Andrew Miller when he was called up, and I didn’t expect Andy Oliver last year. (now his clock has started). Yaneverknow.
Definitely know he’s not gonna be in the majors at any point out of necessity next year. Andy Oliver and Charlie Furbush will be up long before Turner is ever even thought about. He’ll spend the season in AA, maybe AAA.
Yeah, well, that’s the conventional wisdom. But Porcello pitched all year in Detroit at Turner’s age.
Let’s think positive. He’s the Tiger organization’s David Price. David Price ripened in time to be the difference maker in the 2008 ALCS. Since then he’s been an elite starter.
Tiger fans would certainly take that.
Wow some harsh words for Bondo. I think wherever Bondo plays he is going to be competing for the Comeback Player of the Year. Everyone has been quick to bash him but he was really solid the first half of the year. If you look at his ERA he was under 4.00 until mid June. Not to mention he gave up only 4 ER in 27 innings in May. Anyways my point is that he hadn’t pitched in two years. Try throwing every 5th day to professional hitters and see how you do, especially when your velocity is down, your trying to change from a power pitcher to a command pitcher and you probably have dead arm from not having pitched this much in two years. Bondo is a bulldog and no Tiger’s fan can dispute that. He will find ways to win as evidence by his 8-10 record despite a mid 5.00 ERA. I think next year will be his next step towards learning how to pitch with command as opposed to overpowering batters. And he’s shown he can by the first two and a half months of last season. Plus who knows, it’s not out of the question that he could regain velocity. If you ask me, Bondo throwing at 89-90, a year removed from injuries, is worth more of a shot than the Rangers taking a shot at Webb who is throwing a reported 82-83 first year back.
Why are people so opposed to the Tigers being open to signing Bonderman to a minor league deal? It probably won’t happen anyway. I still think he’ll end up in the NL, on the West Coast somewhere.