LAKELAND, Florida, USA (AP) Pitcher Michael Pineda and the Detroit Tigers reached a one-year agreement on Saturday, in the most recent action of a team that has been active before and after the 99-day lockout.
Dominican Pineda left with a record of 9-8 and a 3.62 ERA last season with Minnesota. The 33-year-old right-hander went 5-0 with an ERA of 1.85 in his last five games, leading the majors with the most wins in September.
The Tigers had a record of 77-85 last season under the command of new manager A.J. Hinch, and played above .500 after May 7. It was a big improvement after four consecutive years with winning percentages below .400.
Once the season was over, the Tigers went to work.
Before the major league lockout began, Detroit acquired a pair of coveted free agents, star torpedo boat Javier Baez and left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, on long-term contracts and traded for catcher Tucker Barnhart of Cincinnati.
A few days ago, after spring training started and after a labor agreement between players and owners, left-hander Andrew Chafin and the Tigers ended a two-year, $13 million contract, giving Detroit one of the three most sought-after relievers in free agency. The 31-year-old baseball player 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 shots were strikes, the fourth best rate of the majors among those with at least 100 innings.