Brandon Lyon signs with Astros
Last night, former Tigers reliever Brandon Lyon signed with the Houston Astros for a deal reported at three years and $15 million, Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal reported on Twitter. (Via MLB Trade Rumors)
In return, the Tigers will receive a "sandwich" pick between the first and second rounds in the First-Year Player Draft next summer.
I had hoped the Tigers might come to some sort of agreement with Lyon, originally. But that was before trading Curtis Granderson, which will leave a hole in an already thin lineup. At that point, I think the Tigers might as well invest fully in the idea of rebuilding. (And they can spin it however they want, but short term, they are not as good today as they were on Monday.)
So it makes little sense to pay several million dollars a year for a closer when you have so many internal candidates. It's time for them to sink or swim in the MLB so GM Dave Dombrowski can make better-informed decisions next offseason. In other words, I don't want the Tigers to ever do what the Astros just did: pay a premium for anything less than a premier closer. (update: Fangraphs calls it the worst signing of the winter.)
So from a Tigers' standpoint, this was a pretty good deal.
