"He's a big-league pitcher and will be on our ballclub," manager Jim Leyland said of Rodney during Detroit's winter press caravan. "He'll be a big asset, in my opinion. What his role will be, I don't know yet. But he'll be a very valuable piece of our team. I'll leave it at that because I don't know how it plays out."

Said general manager Dave Dombrowski: "I don't think there's a dominant-type guy out there. No Joe Nathans or K-Rods (Francisco Rodriguez). But I wouldn't be surprised if we added a couple of guys.

"I think we'll put enough pitchers out there in spring training, between the guys we have and anybody else we may add. I think, by the end of the spring, somebody will do a good job for us closing games."

In addition to bringing in a veteran or two from outside the organization, the Tigers also might see if one of their rookies can make the jump, noting that three springs ago right-handers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya made the team with solid showings in March.

"I don't think we're done tinkering with the bullpen yet," Leyland said. "People might be surprised by what happens before spring training or during spring training.

"We'll get some things done that will upgrade our club. We're not done yet. We had some money to play with, but we've already played with it. There are still some guys we might have some interest in, though at maybe a little bit better of a bargain."

Dombrowski added: "Sometimes you go after high-profile guys and sometimes you try to get not-so-high-profile guys. We've been trying to do both."

It's a gamble, but a risk the Tigers are forced to take given the state of the economy.