Yesterday, Bruce Rondon made his fifth appearance of the spring and delivered his best performance to date. While the Tigers have reportedly searched high and low for a proven closer, they may not feel the need to make a move if the rookie continues his strong play. Here's more on that and other notes out of the Central divisions..
- There has been a great deal of concern about the Tigers' plan to use Rondon as their closer, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports isn't buying into the panic. Detroit could make a trade for a ninth-inning option before Opening Day but the supply of bullpen arms will be more plentiful leading to the trade deadline than it is now.
- White Sox left-hander Chris Sale is happy to have his contract situation settled and says that he now feels that he can solely concentrate on playing in 2013, writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Sale, who turns 24 at the end of the month, will earn a guaranteed $32.5MM over the next five years.
- The Pirates believe that they have found a valuable bench piece in the versatile Brandon Inge, writes Tom Singer of MLB.com. The veteran signed a minor league deal with the Bucs less than a month ago and seems likely to make the big league roster.
