Tigers sign Juan Rincon

On rebound, Rincon inks Minors deal
Reliever looking for former dominance that made him setup man

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- No team has faced Juan Rincon more often than the Tigers over the course of Rincon's career. Now, the veteran right-handed reliever will try to continue his career by joining them.

By signing Rincon to a Minor League contract with a Spring Training invitation on Tuesday, the Tigers added Rincon to their roster picture for a bullpen in flux. If the 29-year-old can somehow regain the form that quietly made him one of the league's most valuable middle relievers with the Twins five years ago, Detroit's relief corps will look a lot better for it.

Rincon's familiarity with the Tigers stems from spending his entire eight-year Major League career in the American League Central, all but half a season of it with Minnesota. After making his Major League debut at the age of 22 in 2001, he stuck with the Twins in a big way two years later and became part of Minnesota's dominant late-inning corps along closer Joe Nathan and lefty J.C. Romero.

From 2003-06, Rincon put together four straight seasons with at least 74 1/3 innings. He pitched in at least 75 games in three straight seasons starting in 2004, when he posted an amazing 11-6 record with a 2.63 ERA, 52 hits allowed and 106 strikeouts over 82 innings. He made 75 appearances in '05 despite a 10-day suspension for testing positive for illegal performance-enhancing substances, then reached the same total the next year.

Not until 2007 did the workload seemingly start to take its toll. He still pitched in 63 games and 59 2/3 innings, but his 5.13 ERA on the year was more than two full runs above the previous season. His nine home runs allowed that year matched his total for his previous three seasons combined, and his strikeout total dropped.

Once Rincon got off to a rough start in 2008, the Twins tried to designate him for assignment in mid-June in order to send him to the Minor Leagues. He exercised the right to refuse the move, became a free agent, and a week later signed a Minor League deal on the other side of the division with Cleveland.

He was back in the big leagues by the All-Star break, but he couldn't shake the struggles with his command. He finished the season with a 3-3 record and 5.86 ERA between the two clubs, surrendering 67 hits over 55 1/3 innings with eight home runs, 24 walks and 39 strikeouts.

Rincon has never been a closer, but a rebound from him would be valuable nonetheless for a bullpen that has just two jobs set with little more than three weeks left before Spring Training. Fernando Rodney will be there in some form, whether at setup or closer, while Bobby Seay is set as a left-handed specialist. Detroit has pursued potential closers for much of the offseason with no signings yet, while they've also looked into adding another lefty.

Returning Rincon back to his younger form could be part of the task for pitching coach Rick Knapp, who knows Rincon well from his last job as Minnesota's Minor League pitching coordinator.

GO RINCON