Deal with Jhonny Peralta May Be Imminent

According to Enrique Rojas at ESPNdeportes, a source close to the negotiations has indicated that the Tigers are nearing a deal with Jhonny Peralta for 2 years and $11.25 million. This is not, of course, something new – as we have been hearing for some time that Peralta would likely be offered a two-year deal valued at slightly less than Brandon Inge‘s $11.5 million. However, it is a confirmation that things are going according to plan. If Peralta can return to his offensive production of 2005-2008, when he averaged almost 3 offensive WAR with an OPS of .790, Peralta will prove quite the bargain. If not, the Tigers may be satisfied with a .700 OPS given the weakness of the free agent class at short, provided Peralta’s glove work in Detroit was no fluke. Peralta is only 28, so age is not a concern, and as he has not posted fewer than 600 plate appearances since 1995 neither is health. Offensive inconsistency, unfortunately, need not be caused by either.