The Detroit Tigers have agreed to a two-year, $16 million dollar contract with Mike Pelfrey, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The amount of money and length of the deal between Detroit and the right-handed pitcher was reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
General manager Al Avila has been very busy this offseason, acquiring Francisco Rodriguez, Cameron Maybin, Jordan Zimmermann and now Pelfrey. The 31-year-old will join a Tigers rotation that includes Justin Verlander, Zimmermann, Anibal Sanchez and Daniel Norris. The addition of Pelfrey gives Detroit solid depth going forward.
While Pelfrey did not have his best career-season in 2015, the righty led the American League with 0.6 home runs allowed per nine innings. As for the numbers, Pelfrey made 30 starts for the Minnesota Twins last season, which he went 6-11 with a 4.26 ERA over 164.2 innings pitched. It was outstanding to see Pelfrey pitch after full recovery from Tommy John surgery and a few other injuries, which occurred during his three-year tenure with the Twins.
Pelfrey was drafted as the ninth pick in the 2005 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, which was one pick before the Tigers took Maybin. The native of Ohio played with Mets from 2006-2012 before pitching for the Twins from 2012-2015. Over the 10-year career, he accumulated a 61-81 record with a 4.52 ERA over 217 games. Pelfrey has tossed 1,1237.1 innings during his Major League Baseball career, along with 192.1 innings in the Minor League Baseball.
The 31-year-old is 1-4 with a rough 5.91 ERA over six career starts at Comerica Park, home of the Tigers. In 2015, Pelfrey's velocity jumped to an average of 93.3 mph to mark the highest it has been since 2012.
Detroit will now turn to the bullpen, but will not have the ability to sign any superstars. The Tigers are very close to last year's record $172 million payroll on Opening Day, which means that Avila and the front office will shop smart for relief pitchers.