Afternoon Prowl: No Pursuit of J.J. Putz, Scott Sizemore's Leg, and Jason Grilli Returns

  Are the Tigers not interested in reliever J.J. Putz, or might they be waiting until next week's Winter Meetings to talk to him? If so, Detroit might find a few other teams ahead of them in line. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported that the Phillies, Astros, Pirates, and Rangers have each checked in on Putz.

Jason Beck confirmed that the Tigers haven't had any discussions with Putz as of this week.

  Now that Placido Polanco has moved on, will his successor at second base be ready for next season? Scott Sizemore spoke with Lynn Henning, saying that his broken leg appears to be "coming along pretty good." Sizemore is scheduled to meet with doctors today, but his progress seems to indicate that he'll be ready for Spring Training.

Talking to the Freep's George Sipple, Sizemore did express some concern that he's lost time in the weight room due to the injury.

  At Motor City Bengals, Joe Dexter wonders if Billy Wagner's $7 million deal with the Braves has now priced Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney out of the Tigers' budget. If so, will Detroit be able to sign anyone capable of being their closer? Or will they have to give the job to one of the in-house candidates? (Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry, etc.)

  Speaking of Zumaya, his rehab is just about completed, according to Beck. With that, Zumaya can begin focusing on strength and conditioning. Apparently, that gives him a head start over the last couple of offseasons, where he was still rehabbing before Spring Training.

  The Cleveland Indians' bullpen will have a familiar face next season, as Jason Grilli returns to the AL Central. Grilli apparently signed last week, but the official announcement was made yesterday. He agreed to a minor league deal, with a chance to win a job in Spring Training. Grilli chose the Indians over six other teams that had expressed interest.

  River Avenue Blues wants the Yankees to steer of Lyon for their bullpen, believing he would be a "fringe reliever" in the AL East due to a low strikeout rate and "unsustainably low" BABIP. Lyon's desire for a multi-year deal also raises eyebrows, considering the Yankees' past misfortunes with relievers such as Kyle Farnsworth.

(via MLB Trade Rumors)

  Did we know that the Tigers had been interested in Mike Cameron? Both Beck and Jon Heyman have mentioned that Detroit had pursued him "last summer" as a centerfield option versus left-handed pitching.  (I'm assuming that means Summer 2009, not 2008.) I'm pretty sure I was here, and don't remember those rumors popping up very much.

The inference is that the Tigers might go after Cameron as a free agent, if they trade Curtis Granderson. As we said on Tuesday, however, it's unclear how that would help Detroit save money, as Cameron made $10 million last year and would surely cost more than Granderson is owed for 2010. (Still, I think Cameron would look great in left field for Detroit.)

  Over in the FanPosts, Andy Seiler posted an excerpt to his review of the Tigers' 2009 draft. You can read his thoughts to Detroit's first five picks, including Jacob Turner, Andrew Oliver, and Wade Gaynor.