It's probably safe to say that virtually anyone available at the major league level who's shown an ability to consistently close out games in the ninth inning will attract the Detroit Tigers' curiosity this winter.  So it shouldn't be a surprise that free agent Brandon Lyon appears to be on the Tigers' radar as a potential closer for 2009. 

MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that Detroit has expressed its interest in Lyon to his agent, Barry Meister, and could begin talking to the pitcher once his exclusive negotiating rights with the Diamondbacks expire on Friday. 

Last season with Arizona, Lyon saved 26 games (out of 31 opportunities), posting a 4.70 ERA in 61 appearances.  He also threw 44 strikeouts and 13 walks in 59 1/3 innings.  One red flag in his stat line, however, is the 75 hits Lyon gave up.

Another concern is that Lyon eventually lost the closer's job to Chad Qualls in September after two particularly rough outings in which he allowed four runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings.  (In addition, his ERA for August was 12.27.)  Overall, Lyon's season was a tale of two halves.  The first half of the year, he compiled 19 saves and a 2.43 ERA.  In the second half, he posted a 8.43 ERA and saved just seven games.  So which is the real Brandon Lyon?  Or is he somewhere in-between?

According to Meister, Lyon will see what his value is on the open market and then come back to the D-Backs to see if they would match or exceed any free agent offers.  He actually sounds like someone who'd prefer to return to Arizona, regardless of whether or not he's the closer.  But the right team with the right offer would obviously make a difference.

This past season, Lyon made $3.125 million.  Would a one-or-two-year deal from the Tigers with a slight raise be enough to attract his interest?  Or should the Tigers look elsewhere for a closer?