Report: Pirates trying to retain reliever Jason Grilli, but other teams are interested

The Tigers are trying to keep reliever Jason Grilli, but he's been drawing interest from other teams as a closer.

By Chris Cwik

Nov 30, 2012 at 1:13 pm ET • 1 min read

The Tigers are trying to keep reliever Jason Grilli, but he’s been drawing interest from other teams as a closer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

The 36-year-old reliever had a great year in 2012. In 58 2/3 innings, Grilli posted a 2.91 ERA and a 2.80 FIP. He also managed to strike out 36.9 percent of hitters, which was the fourth-highest rate among relievers last season.

Grilli made just $1.1 million last season, and should be in for a nice pay raise on the market. If Grilli is intent on taking a ninth inning role, it might be tough for Pittsburgh to retain his services. But Pittsburgh’s current closer Joel Hanrahan has been mentioned as a trade candidate, so there might still be a chance for the club to retain Grilli’s services.

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