UPDATE (Nov. 29, 9:25 a.m. PT): According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Jordan Zimmermann and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a contract:
The first big free agent is off the board, as the Tigers have reached agreement with star right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, CBSSports.com has learned.
Zimmermann becomes the first major starting pitcher to come off the market and his deal with Detroit is for five years and roughly $110 million, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports:
Sources: Jordan Zimmermann's deal with #Tigers expected to be 5 years and around $110 million. @JonHeymanCBS first reported agreement.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 29, 2015
While the free-agent market is flush with starting pitchers this offseason, there’s yet to be any significant movement.
Most notably, J.A. Happ, 33, signed a three-year, $36 million million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Meanwhile, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke and David Price are among the the starters still available.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of several teams looking to bolster their starting rotation this winter.
It’s believed Los Angeles still has Greinke as their top target, though they’ve been linked to other pitchers as well — one being Jordan Zimmermann.
According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, the 29-year-old Zimmermann is engaged in serious talks to sign with the Detroit Tigers:
#Tigers in discussions with Jordan Zimmermann, sources tell @ken_rosenthal and me, with multiple people saying talks have become serious.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 29, 2015
Zimmermann rejected a five-year, $105 million extension from the Washington Nationals last winter. He declined the one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer this offseason.
Thus, any team that signs Zimmermann as a free agent will forfeit their top pick in the 2016 MLB Draft — so long as it isn’t in the top 10; the signing team would then lose their next-highest pick.
Detroit holds the No. 9 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Zimmermann went 13-10 last season, setting a new career high with 33 starts.
His 3.66 ERA was a full run higher than his 2014 average, while his FIP increased from 2.68 in 2014 to 3.75 last season. The Tigers would clearly stand to gain from adding Zimmermann to their rotation after sending Price to the Blue Jays prior to the non-waiver trade deadline last season.
Detroit received three pitchers in exchange for Price — Matt Boyd, Jairo Labourt and Daniel Norris. Boyd appeared in 11 games (10 starts) for the Tigers and Norris made eight starts. Labourt pitched for Detroit’s High-A affiliate.
