Tigers to sign ex-Red Williamson

CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler reports that former Red Scott Williamson is close to signing a minor-league deal with Detroit.

Williamson turns 33 next month. Knobler says he has impressed scouts in recent workouts. The Brewers apparently expressed interest as well.

Williamson hasn't pitched in the big leagues since the middle of the 2007 season. He spent the 2008 season in Richmond (Braves) and Tacoma (Mariners).

Williamson was the 1999 National League Rookie of the Year; he was the last Red to win the award. He was an All-Star that year too. He went 12-7 with a 2.41 ERA and 19 saves, a 1.039 WHIP, 107 strikeouts and 43 walks in 93 1/3 innings.

Aside from that, he's looked sharp at times but arm injuries since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2001 have prevented him from pitching a lot of innings. He posted a 1.26 ERA for the Red Sox in 2004, but that was only 28 2/3 innings. He only threw 14 1/3 innings the following season for the Cubs.

The Giants invited him to Spring Training in 2008 but released him pretty early (March 5).

He's bounced around and gotten released enough that some might say it's time for him to call it quits. The way I see it, there are too many guys, especially recently (Mike Lincoln, for instance) who have come from out of nowhere to revive their careers. If he thinks he can recapture it or he's had it all along but is finally healthy, more power to him.