UPDATE: Zimmermann will have a full no-trade clause for the first three years of his deal, but can be traded to one of 10 teams he approves of during his final two years, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
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UPDATE: The Tigers have officially announced the deal.
The #Tigers announced today that the club has agreed to terms with RHP Jordan Zimmermann on a five-year contract. pic.twitter.com/lY12ju7eJJ
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) November 30, 2015
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UPDATE: The deal is pending a physical, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
FOX Sports' Jon Morosi says the pact is for five years and $110 million.
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The Detroit Tigers have already made a couple of big trades this offseason in acquiring closer Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Cameron Maybin. Now the latest rumors suggest they just landed a top starter in free agency.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting the Tigers and Jordan Zimmermann have agreed to a contract.
Zimmermann was reportedly on the Tigers' radar late Saturday, according to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi. The free agent and former Washington Nationals starter finished the 2015 season 13-10 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 164 strikeouts in 33 starts (201 2/3 innings).
Although it was his worst season as a full-time starter in which he made at least 26 starts, he's still expected to land a $100 million contract.
ESPN Insider Jim Bowden projected Zimmermann would land a six-year, $120 million deal and Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com predicted a six-year, $126 million contract.
Right now the financials of the rumored deal are unknown, but it's likely in that price range or else Zimmermann probably would have not accepted a contract this early in the offseason.
"Recently, a number of team executives and player agents said they believed Zimmermann would sign for a guarantee of $100 million or more," Morosi and Ken Rosenthal wrote last night. "That's a significant number, because Zimmermann could become the first recipient of Tommy John surgery to receive a nine-figure contract."
The Tigers were desperately in need of starting pitching, especially after they traded David Price in the middle of the season to the Toronto Blue Jays. Poor seasons from Anibal Sanchez and Shane Greene contributed to the team's worst season since 2008, as did Justin Verlander's prolonged absence to start the year.
Zimmermann is 70-50 with a 3.32 ERA in seven MLB seasons (178 starts) and has tossed at least 195 innings in each of the past four seasons. He finished seventh in the NL Cy Young voting back in 2013 and fifth in 2014.
The Tigers have a protected first-round draft pick (ninth overall), so once the deal is official they will surrender their next highest draft pick to the Nationals since Zimmermann rejected their qualifying offer.
Stay tuned for updates and a confirmation from the Tigers.
