Did Tigers find themselves a closer?

A whole bunch went wrong with the Detroit Tigers last season, but most fans, experts and 2008 losing futures bettors on WagerWeb.com will tell you that the bullpen was mostly to blame for one of the biggest flops of last season.

Well, Detroit has taken a potential step to rectifying that bullpen issue by signing former Diamondbacks closer Brandon Lyon. The right-hander got a one-year, $4.25 million deal after going 3-5 with 26 saves and 4.70 ERA in 61 appearances last year with Arizona.

But there are warning signs. Lyon had 19 saves and a 2.43 ERA in the season’s first half before a slump in July and August prompted the D-backs to move him back to setup. Lyon finished with an 8.46 ERA and .381 opponents’ batting average after the All-Star break, comparing to 2.43 and .243 beforehand. Thus he has not yet been officially anointed as the closer for Detroit.

“He’ll be a guy that can do that job for us,” GM Dave Dombrowski said to reporters. “He was not promised the job. He knows exactly our situation. He thinks he’s going to win the job. That’s why he wanted to come here. He thinks he can step forward and be that guy. Time will tell.

“I don’t look at him as a dominant-type closer, but our people think he can pitch at the back end of the pen,” Dombrowski said.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Frankly, Lyon is similar to former closer Todd Jones, who got lit up last year and is now retired. So consider that when making Tigers 2009 futures bets on WagerWeb.com.

The Tigers also have Fernando Rodney potentially competing for the closer’s role, but most believe Rodney is better as a set-up man. The Tigers initially looked into former Cubs closer Kerry Wood, but he ended up signing with the Indians. The club also looked into trading for Seattle’s J.J. Putz before he was dealt to the Mets.

Frankly, the whole state of the Tigers bullpen might rest on the shoulder of Joel Zumaya, who had season-ending surgery last year. But Dombrowski reiterated that the team “cannot count on” Zumaya being healthy Opening Day.

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