A baseball source close to ESPN has confirmed that Magglio Ordonez and the Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement to a one-year, $10 million contract.
Back in October, Detroit declined Ordonez’s $15 million option, but the team stated that they would want Magglio to return if he successfully recovered from a season-ending ankle injury that occurred in July of last year.
Earlier this offseason, the Tigers spent $66.5 million to sign catcher Victor Martinez and relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit. Infielders Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta have also re-signed with Detroit, making this offseason quite successful so far.
In 84 games last season, Magglio Ordonez hit .303 with 12 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 56 runs scored. Throughout his 13-year MLB career, Ordonez has recorded 2,072 hits, 289 home runs, 1,204 RBIs, 92 stolen bases, and a batting average of .312.
It is expected for Magglio Ordonez to return to right field in the 2011 season for the Detroit Tigers. Ordonez’s agent, Scott Boras, told The Detroit News, “Magglio is very loyal to Mike Ilitch(Tigers owner) and very happy to be coming back to Detroit. All parties came together to make this happen.”
Boras could not reveal if Ordonez received multiple-year offers from other organizations, but he did confirm that there was some increased interest by other teams which were offering more money than Detroit.
With some extremely valuable and talented free agents still remaining, the Tigers may continue searching for more weapons to add to their already impressive roster.
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