more potato

illustration by Samara Pearlstein

Will I ever get tired of drawing Jose Valverde as a potato? I think not.

Jason Beck is reporting that the Tigers have picked up Papa Grande’s $9 million option for next season. He will be the closer next year until he does something to negate that himself.

Why is this a good thing?

–52 for 52 in save situations
–positive clubhouse influence, especially when it comes to taking new cats under his wing
–despite the fact that he seems very much like a grizzled vet, he’s actually only going to be 34 in 2012
–this face
–potatoes are delicious
–dancing and other exaggerated gestural performances

We all know about the fickle nature of relief pitchers, and dominance in one season is hardly a guarantee of dominance in the next. But Papa Grande was basically everything we could have wanted in a closer this year. It would have been totally insane to NOT pick up this option and make sure he’d be spending the entire winter snug and secure as a potato in a sea of melted butter and cheese.

Also, apparently Justin Verlander is the Sporting News MVP, and Verlander and Avila are both Sporting News All Stars. I totally do not care and am waiting for the real MVP award to be announced so I can complain about how meaningless THAT is (if Justin doesn’t win it, naturally), but it seemed to bear mention.

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