The Detroit Tigers have reportedly reached an agreement with free-agent starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey on a two-year contract.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported a deal was expected. Joel Sherman confirmed the news, which is pending an official physical, and passed along the length of the contract.
Pelfrey is nothing more than rotation depth for Detroit. He’s coming off a three-year stint with AL Central rivals Minnesota Twins that saw him post a lackluster 4.94 ERA with just 197 strikeouts in 341 innings across 64 starts.
He did have slightly more success when facing the Tigers during that time period, though. He had a 3.88 ERA in nine outings against his new team while with Minnesota.
One thing he does do well is keep the ball in the park. He’s only given up 99 home runs in 217 career appearances, and when you consider the spacious Comerica Park ranked 26th in homers per game last season, per ESPN, it could make him a good fit.
Ultimately, he’ll likely fill one of the bottom two spots in the Tigers’ rotation to open the 2016 season. Detroit already has a solid top three in Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and previous offseason acquisition Jordan Zimmermann.
Expectations should be limited for the 31-year-old right-hander, but if Pelfrey can provide the team with 30 starts and an ERA similar to last season’s 4.26, it should be a worthwhile investment. Anything better than that would be a bonus.
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