New York Mets tap Jose Valverde as fill-in closer

How bad are things in the New York Mets bullpen right now? So bad that with closer Bobby Parnell headed to the disabled list, the best option the Mets could come up with is to name Jose Valverde as their closer du jour.

According to a report from the Detroit News, that exactly what the Metropolitans plan to do.

Valverde, a three-time All-Star with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers, has struggled with control in recent years and fell out of favor with fans because of a number of blown saves and poor outings.

The Mets most certainly aren’t looking at the 36-year-old Valverde as a long-term solution should Parnell need surgery, but even looking that far into the future you’d have to think New York would have to tap into the free agent market to get themselves a dependable closer.

That, or go with the old “closer by committee” scheme…which has worked so well in the past.

Yes, that was sarcasm.

New York does have a few possible in-team options with guys like Gonzalez Germenic, Vic Black, or Jeurys Familia, but those aren’t exactly the best options either.

Valverde has 286 saves in an 11-year big league career with Diamondbacks, Astros and Tigers. He was 0-1 with a 5.59 earned-run average for Detroit last year, and blew three of 12 save opportunities before he was sent down to Triple-A Toledo where he totaled seven saves with a 4.09 ERA in 11 games.