Joe Nathan and the Detroit Tigers is close to happening, according to Ken Rosenthal on Twitter.
This seemed the most obvious fit of the offseason from the time Nathan opted out of his third year option with the Texas Rangers. Nathan wants to pitch for a winner, and Detroit is a successful team that was looking for a closer.
Nathan spent the 2012-13 seasons with the Rangers, after Texas signed him to allow them to move closer Neftali Feliz to the rotation. He had a very successful run, putting up a 2.09 ERA with 80 saves in 129 innings over 133 games for the Rangers. Signing Nathan for $7 million a year is one of the better deals Jon Daniels has made.
That being said, Nathan showed some signs of age last season, and the Rangers aren't a team that prioritizes spending a lot of money on the bullpen, so his departure this offseason was inevitable. Tanner Scheppers, Joakim Soria, Neftali Feliz, and possibly Alexi Ogando will be vying to take over for Nathan as the team's closer.