The Detroit Tigers bullpen has been ransacked by injuries during the first few months of the season, leaving Jim Leyland a little thin when it comes to his late inning options. So you would think that if you are a healthy member of the Tigers pen, you've got some job security right about now. Do you know how bad you'd have to suck at this point for the Tigers to get rid of you?Jose Mesa does.
Considering the needs of most bullpens, Jose Mesa has thrown his last pitch for the Tigers, but possibly not his last pitch in the majors.
"We'll see," Mesa said Sunday, soon after he was released following the Tigers' 9-2 victory over the Indians. "For now, I'll go home and see what happens.
"I didn't do my job. This happens when you don't do your job. I see good things ahead for this team, though. That's why I signed here. But nothing happened. I didn't pitch well."
So I guess going 1-1 with a 12.34 ERA just isn't good enough to stick around on the Tigers anymore. Maybe a few years ago, but this team is good now. To be fair to Joe Table, it's not just his performance that led to the Tigers making this move.
Fernando Rodney is set to come off of the disabled list, and Leyland would like to keep Zach Miner out in the pen where's he's shown he belongs.
As for what the future holds for Mesa, who knows? I'm not sure there are many teams out there in the market for a 41-year old reliever, no matter how many saves he had in his career. Then again, I have to watch the White Sox bullpen everyday, and Mesa can't be much worse than they are. So there's still hope for him if he'd like to continue.
