Outside of Cliff Lee, Adrian Beltre, and Carl Crawford, there isn't a whole lot of substance to this winter's upcoming free agent class. And now you can go ahead and remove a solid name from the list of available infielders, as the Detroit Tigers have re-signed third baseman Brandon Inge to a two-year contract.
Tigers Re-Sign Brandon Inge To Two-Year Contract With 2013 Option
Tigers agree to terms with third baseman Brandon Inge on a two-year contract plus a club option for the 2013 season. #mlb
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By re-signing with Detroit, Inge leaves Beltre as about the only available third baseman worth starting. The two-year contract covers Inge’s age-34 and age-35 seasons. The career Tiger is coming off a season that saw him bat .247 with 13 home runs and a .718 OPS. Those numbers aren’t very good on their own, and the home run total slipped from Inge’s 27 in 2009, but what makes him a solid all-around player is that he’s able to play above-average defense at the hot corner. Inge isn’t quite the Gold Glove candidate he once was, but he can still move around well and pick it with the best of them, and he makes for a good role player on a contending team.
After making $6.6 million in 2010, Inge’s two-year contract will be worth $11.5 million. His 2013 option is worth $6 million, with a $0.5 million buyout.
The reaction from Tigers blog Bless You Boys is as follows:
Point is, Inge’s contract is the perfect one to form a bridge to the new generation, and he is a known commodity at a known price. If those guys do not develop as expected, they can check the free agent market again at that time. If they do develop, you’ve got some controlled costs and can spend elsewhere. That makes keeping Inge around a pretty sensible decision.
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