Detroit Tigers Sign Six Arbitration Players, Exchange Salary Figures With Max Scherzer

The deadline for teams to exchange salary figures with their arbitration eligible players came yesterday — a day that is typically met with a flurry of signings. Many teams — and the Tigers have been certainly been this type — prefer to get deals done quickly with their players rather than see the entire arbitration process through the end.

Max Scherzer will pitch for the Tigers in 2013, but he doesn’t yet know how much he’ll be paid. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

The Tigers came to an agreement with six of their seven arbitration eligible players, signing Doug Fister, Alex Avila, Austin Jackson, Rick Porcello, Phil Coke, and Brennan Boesch to one-year deals. Only Max Scherzer remains unsigned after exchanging salary figures with the club.

MLB Trade Rumors came out with a list of projected arbitration salaries earlier in the offseason, and the Tigers’ players’ deals are all in line with expectations.

All of the numbers are a little big higher than estimate, but the group of six players combine will make less than two million more than was estimated. It’s not altogether that a team notorious for not making it all the way to arbitration hearings would end up paying a bit more for their guys. Dave Dombrowski has always appeared more interested in getting the deal done quickly and keeping both sides happy than pinching pennies.

The Tigers and Max Scherzer haven’t yet reached a deal, but I’m 100 percent positive that they’ll get something signed before arbitration hearings take place in early February. Scherzer is reportedly looking for $7.4 million while the Tigers have offered $6.05 million. Detroit will probably end up signing him for around $7 million — $500K less than the MLBTR estimate of $7.5 million.

These seven players made a total of $9.97 million in 2012, but will combine for $26-$27 million this year. That difference is more than came off the books when Jose Valverde and Delmon Young exited the club.