Report: Tigers strike first, land Jordan Zimmermann to stabilize rotation
The first major domino in free agency appears to have fallen. According to CBS Sports Jon Heyman, right-hander Jordan Zimmermann has agreed to a contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Both Heyman and Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi report the deal is for five years at $110 million.
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 appeared during the 2014 season, and a sobering reminder of how quickly pitching stability can be lost.
Here’s another troubling fact: Detroit finished the 2015 season with the worst ERA in the league for starting pitchers last year.
Obviously free agency and a stretched payroll played a key role in the swift dismantling. It also forced former GM Dave Dombrowski to make some money-saving decisions, but Detroit was also caught with few options left within the organization to rely on. When that happens, teams are forced to pay to restock, and that appears to be what Avila is doing. Although this would appear to be a relative bargain, as Zimmermann’s deal falls short of those expected for Price, Zack Greinke and even Johnny Cueto.
The Tigers will also be giving up their second-round pick in the 2016 draft to sign Zimmermann. The team’s first-round pick is protected.
With the agreement at $110 million, Zimmermann becomes the first pitcher post Tommy John surgery to land a $100 million contract. Zimmermann had the operation in 2009, and has since been one of baseball’s most durable starters, Since 2011, he’s made at least 25 starts in every season and topped 190 innings in each of the last four seasons. That’s exactly what Detroit needs atop its rotation.
At 29, Zimmermann figures to have some good years left ahead of him. so the investiment makes sense on multiple levels for Detroit. He’d also be a very tradable piece in the next couple years should Detroit determine its window has completely closed. That’s assuming, of course, there’s no no-trade clause.
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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
