A couple weeks ago, I asked the question as to which team would be willing to take a chance on closer Jose Valverde, who has most recently spent his time with the Detroit Tigers. The Mets were interested in his services as insurance to Frank Francisco, but now that a deal looks to be all but complete with free agent Brandon Lyon, New York is no longer interested in Papa Grande.

So, enter the Marlins, who are looking for some bullpen help before Spring Training starts next week. MLB Trade Rumors reported the two sides nearing a deal, according to a source. However, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that while Valverde is in talks with Miami, he is also engaged in conversation with other teams, and no deal seems to be on the horizon at this point.

Although he compiled an incredibly scary stat line in 2.2 postseason innings last October (30.37 ERA, 4.50 WHIP, .579 opponent batting average in four appearances), he’s still a solid pick-up for a team needing to secure the back-end of their bullpen, appearing in 60+ games four of the last five seasons, and notching 30+ saves three times in that time span. The Marlins could use Valverde since they traded Heath Bell to the Diamondbacks in November.

UPDATE 2:52PM: While this is not surprising either, Hardball Talk reports this apparent interest in Valverde from the Marlins looks to be a ploy from his agent, Scott Boras, trying to find his client a job.

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