Pitcher Michael Pineda and the Detroit Tigers reached a one-year deal on Saturday, the latest action from a team that has been active before and following the 99-day lockout.
Pineda went 9-8 with a 3.62 ERA last season with Minnesota The 33-year-old right-hander went 0-5 with a 1.85 ERA in his last five games, leading the Majors with the most wins in September.
The Tigers went 77-85 last season under new manager AJ Hinch and played over .500 following May 7. It was a huge improvement following four straight years with sub-.400 winning percentages.
With the season over, the Tigers went to work.
Before the major league lockout began, Detroit acquired a pair of coveted free agents, All-Star shortstop Javier Báez and lefty starter Eduardo Rodríguez, on long-term deals and traded for catcher Tucker Barnhart from Cincinnati.
A few days ago, following spring training began and following a labor agreement between players and owners, left-hander Andrew Chafin and the Tigers finalized a two-year, $13 million contract, giving Detroit one of three relievers. most sought following in free agency. The 31-year-old had a 1.83 ERA with five saves in 71 games for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics.
Pineda is 62-54 with a 3.98 ERA in eight seasons with Seattle, the New York Yankees and the Twins.
The Dominican is known for his good control of the ball and last year 69% of his pitches were strikes, the fourth best rate in the majors among those who have at least 100 innings.
