Torii Hunter has been inked by the defending A.L. Champs, Detroit Tigers, to a two-year deal pending physical as reported by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.
Hunter said he would not deliberate too much on where he would sign and he kept his produce. He will take his productivity east and play for a Detroit club that struggled against left handed pitching and could use some pop from the rightfield position.
Ideally, Hunter fits in the two-hole in between Austin Jackson and Miguel Cabrera. The 37-year-old does strikeout a lot as he has finished 10 of his 16 MLB seasons with triple-digit strikeout totals.
Hunter remains productive despite the strikeouts as he drove in 92 runs while smacking 16 out of the park all while hitting .313.
He provides protection for Jackson who is a base-stealing threat when he gets on, meaning pitchers can't walk Jackson and will have to make him earn his way on base.
Behind Hunter, he will have a huge supporter in Cabrera, the 2012 Triple Crown winner. Hunter lived in the two-spot hitting in front of Albert Pujols, so hitting in front of Cabrera should have him producing the same type of numbers.
With the signing, Hunter is one of the first top free agents to be removed from the shelf.
Hunter signed a two-year $26 million deal.
