Report: Tigers have a deal with starter Jordan Zimmermann
The first major domino in free agency appears to have fallen. According to CBS Sports Jon Heyman, right-hander Jordan Zimmerman has agreed to a contract with the Detroit Tigers.
The reported deal would mark the first major signing of the offseason. It’s also the first major move by new Tigers general manager Al Avila, who’s obviously looking to rebuild a rotation that staggered in 2015 after losing Max Scherzer to free agency last winter.
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Detroit also moved on from current free agent David Price during the regular season, trading him to the Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline. Those losses coupled with injuries and an overall decline in performance from Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez actually made starting pitching a priority for Detroit. An amazing reality considering just how loaded their rotation appear during the 2014 season, and a sobering reminder of how quickly things can change.
Obviously free agency and a stretched payroll played a key role in Detroit’s dismantling. That forced former GM Dave Dombrowski to make some money-saving decisions, but Detroit was also caught with few options left within the organization.
Financial detail have not yet been revealed, but Zimmermann wasn’t expected to land a deal in the Price or Zack Greinke range. Given that he signed early, perhaps he a found a deal closer to that range than anticipated. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
