Dave Dombrowski says the Tigers aren’t interested in Rafael Soriano

Many have assumed that the Tigers are going to go after Rafael Soriano or some other free agent closer. They need a closer. They have the money. They’ve worked quite nicely with Scott Boras before. If they don’t go after someone they’re going to be forced to go with a rookie closer in Bruce Rondon. It just makes sense, the reasoning goes.

Not so fast, Dave Dombrowski tells the Detroit News’ Lynn Henning:

Just got off phone with Dombrowski. Made it clear Tigers are NOT shopping for a closer. Will go to camp giving Rondon every shot to win job.

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) November 29, 2012

Dombrowski believes they have back-end insurance in case Rondon isn’t ready: Benoit, Dotel, Coke, Alburquerque, etc. Lots of certitude…

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) November 29, 2012

Of course, no GM would ever downplay his interest in a free agent in an attempt to improve his negotiating position. That, like, never happens.

Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove is done for the year after suffering an abdominal wall muscle strain and stress reaction in his pelvic bone. While he isn’t expected to undergo surgery or miss additional time in 2019, he’s been prescribed six weeks of rest before resuming any baseball-related activities.

Musgrove, 25, finished out his third year in Pittsburgh with a 6-9 record in 19 starts, backed by a 4.06 ERA, 1.8 BB/9, and 7.8 SO/9. Despite logging a career-high 115 1/3 innings at the major league level, he’s also been dogged by a string of injuries, from the shoulder strain that robbed him of eight weeks at the start of the season to an index finger infection that kept him sidelined for a minimum 10-day stay on the disabled list in June.

While he works his way back up to full strength yet again, rookie right-hander Nick Kingham is expected to cover for him and will make a spot start during the Pirates’ series finale against the Brewers on Sunday. The 26-year-old righty hasn’t started a single game for the team since August 1, and currently carries a 4.69 ERA, 2.7 BB/9, and 8.1 SO/9 over 71 innings out of the rotation and bullpen.