Report: Arizona Diamondbacks have not signed reliever Jose Valverde to minor-league deal
Dec 17, 2013, 4:06 PM | Updated: 4:55 pm
Update: According to Heyman, the D-backs have not actually signed Jose Valverde.
my bad. i miss-interpreted a text, valverde has NOT signed with #dbacks. he talked to them, but hes still a free agent
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 17, 2013
He’s back!
Jose Valverde, who got his start in the Major Leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was signed to a minor-league deal by the team Tuesday, according to CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman.
Valverde, 35, pitched for the Diamondbacks from 2003 until 2007, when he was traded to the Houston Astros in a deal that brought relievers Chad Qualls and Juan Gutierrez and utility man Chris Burke to the desert.
Valverde is Arizona’s all-time leader in saves with 98 and his 47 saves in 2007 still are the most in a single season for any Diamondbacks closer.
After leaving Houston via free agency prior to the 2010 season, Valverde signed with the Detroit Tigers and registered 119 saves over the next four seasons. Last year, “Papa Grande” pitched in only 20 games for the Tigers, saving nine games and registering a robust 5.59 ERA in 19.1 innings of work.
The Dominican native is a three-time All-Star and finished fifth in the 2011 American League Cy Young voting when he had 49 saves and a 2.24 ERA for the AL Central champs.
