Martinez Agrees to Two-Year $18.5 Million Deal with the Detroit Tigers

J.D. Martinez isn’t leaving Detroit anytime soon…

The 28-year-old Cuban American outfielder and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth $18.5 million pending a physical, according to ESPN.com.

J.D. Martinez

The new contract, which will pay the MLB All-Star player $6.75 million in 2016 and $11.75 million in 2017, allows Martinez and the Tigers to avoid salary arbitration, which was slated to take place later this month.

When the two sides exchanged salary figures the past month, they found themselves with a significant gap to bridge, with Martinez’s camp reportedly submitting an annual average value of $8 million and the team an AAV of $6 million. The deal reached Monday evening comes in with an AAV of $9.25 million.

Martinez becomes the fourth and final arbitration-eligible player to reach a deal with Detroit this offseason. The Tigers also signed Justin WilsonJose Iglesias and Andrew Romine.

Martinez, who won the Silver Slugger Award in 2015, is coming off a sensational 2015 season in which he led the team with 38 home runs and batted .282. Martinez finished the season with 102 RBIs, 93 runs, 168 hits, 33 doubles and two triples.

Aviles Agrees to One-Year Deal with the Detroit Tigers

Mike Aviles is ready to roar into the new baseball season…

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball player, a utility player, has agreed to a one-year Major League Baseball (MLB) contract with the Detroit Tigers, the team announced.

Mike Aviles

Aviles presumably will fill a utility role for the Tigers along with infielder Andrew Romine.

Tigers general manager Al Avila indicated at the winter meetings last week that a utility player was likely to be the last of the club’s offseason signings, although he did leave open the possibility of adding another bullpen arm.

Aviles spent the past three seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He batted .231 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 98 games last season.

Aviles made multiple trips to the family medical emergency list in 2015 after his daughter Adriana was diagnosed with leukemia in May.

The eight-year veteran also has played for the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox.

To create room for Aviles on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated for assignment left-hander Kyle Lobstein.