Zimmermann is the first big-name free agent to sign with a team, and his contract is being reported as $110 million over five years, a figure that most pundits are finding favorable to the Tigers.
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Everybody knew the Tigers were searching for two starting pitchers this winter, one a front-line option, and in his first offseason as a general manager, Avila was aggressive, securing his top target before the calendar flipped to December. The club also traded a minor league infielder and a player to be named later for closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Though the Red Sox were interested in Zimmermann, it’s unlikely they would have signed him.
What are the Tigers thinking?
The Tigers slipped last season in large part because their rotation declined after Max Scherzer signed with Washington as a free agent. Scherzer and Price obviously moved on and the Tigers struggled through most of 2015.
You kind of have to admire Mike Illitch and the Tigers, don’t you? After a strong first year, he posted a 5.13 ERA in 2011, leaving him with 1.7 total WAR in Anaheim.
It’s fair to argue Happ was a different pitcher with Pittsburgh, changing his mechanics and pitch mix under the tutelage of pitcher whisperer Ray Searage, throwing more fastballs and throwing them a bit harder than before. The Tigers need some consistency. If hired by the Marlins, Bonds would coach Stanton, their $325 million slugger, who has 181 career homers even though he just turned 26. But now, at least they will not have to worry about the front end of their starting rotation. Now Zimmermann is heading in the other direction, joining a Detroit starting staff that includes Verlander and Anibal Sanchez.
Detroit still has Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez signed to expensive contracts. That certainly makes sense. Most people focus on the park effects first and that is certainly the traditional place to go, but the most important number is the defense efficiency rating.
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“Probably free agency is the best route to go, because you don’t have to give up a player”, Avila said. At the beginning of last season, the Tigers were considered to be contenders but their season spiraled out of control. Anything over 100 means it is better for hitters than it is for pitchers. He has never pitched in the American League and underwent elbow ligament reconstruction surgery in 2010, something Avila said wasn’t a major concern for the team. Now, it will be the reverse. “We were trying to get a top starter like Jordan, and then obviously a less expensive pitcher at this point”.
