Pursuit of Mariners closer J.J. Putz is heating up

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A pair of key free-agent deals Tuesday has helped refocus some of the trade discussions surrounding Mariners closer J.J. Putz.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Tuesday night he had spoken about Putz with the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. Of the three clubs, the Tigers appear the most likely to pull off a trade in the coming days.

An agreement in principle early in the day between the New York Mets and closer Francisco Rodriguez, worth a reported three years, $37 million, helped set the market and was followed by a two-year deal said to have been reached between reliever Kerry Wood and the Cleveland Indians. Both deals are contingent upon physicals being passed by the players involved, but for the Tigers, who had been targeting Wood, it meant refocusing their energies on landing Michigan native Putz.

"There have been a few that have been very intriguing," Zduriencik said in regards to players that have come up in trade discussions so far. "Again, it goes to the overall picture of whether you think you can improve your ballclub, short-term and long-term. But there have been some points of the discussions that haven't allowed them to go forward."

Zduriencik declined to elaborate specifically on what those deal-preventing differences between teams entailed.

"There are just so many different things," Zduriencik said. "Either they're trying to get a value that I value more than what they're offering, or vice versa, we're asking more than what they want [to pay]."

In regards to Putz, the Tigers are believed to be offering either left fielder Matt Joyce or corner infielder Jeff Larish, with the possibility of a minor-league prospect being included as well. The Mariners are thought to want both Joyce and Larish as well as a third player.

Both Joyce and Larish are left-handed hitters, something the Tigers have a shortage of on their big-league club. Detroit's system has also been left depleted by trades in recent years, and the Tigers are somewhat hesitant to deal young players in abundance.

But the Tigers, who had a $137 million payroll last season, are also trying to keep that figure steady despite a number of hefty raises due on their current roster. That would seem to preclude any big-money free-agent deals for closers and appears to make a trade for Putz — owed $5.5 million next season with a club option for 2010 — highly attractive.

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Detroit media members on Tuesday that he'd like to move quickly on adding a closer.

"Someone's got to close the game for you," he said.

But Dombrowski also insisted he still had other options. One of those is a possible run at free-agent Brian Fuentes, though that price — like Wood's — may be too high for Detroit's liking.

"We could do a lot of different things," he said. "We're exploring a lot of different options. My list is long in my pocket, and we'll keep pursuing it."

Brewers manager Doug Melvin told reporters he'd had some discussions with Zduriencik, but that a match could not be found. The Brewers are interested in Putz and other Seattle pitchers, while the Mariners are intrigued by the possibility of landing first baseman Prince Fielder as part of what would inevitably be a multi-player deal.

Zduriencik said no specific Putz-for-Fielder scenarios had been discussed. He didn't rule out the possibility of both teams revisiting talks down the road.

The Cardinals were rumored to be making outfielder Rick Ankiel available in their search for a closer, but it's not known which names were discussed with Zduriencik. Of all the teams, though, the Tigers still appear to be the one acting with the most urgency and who have multiple players to make a deal happen quickly.

Zduriencik insists he's fine with the idea of moving ahead with Putz as his closer and that he can look elsewhere and at free-agency for solutions to his power-hitting needs. He added that the momentum of Tuesday's trade talks was slowed somewhat by a baseball-related meeting and a dinner banquet he had to attend.

"Maybe today was a bit of a regrouping day," he said. "Step back a second and hear what people have to say."

Now that they've spoken, Zduriencik seems content to wait for a team to step up with more than just talk.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com