Cross another would-be free agent off the list.
The other day, we saw free agent LHP Ted Lilly re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and on Thursday we saw a third baseman re-sign with his current club and not test the free agent waters.
Brandon Inge, a free agent to be, decided to re-sign with the Detroit Tigers. Inge signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with a $6 million club option for 2013 according to MLB.com’s John Beck.
Inge, 33, hit .237/.307/.394 with 13 HRs in 144 games with the Tigers. Inge’s .718 OPS ranked 15th amongst Major League third basemen in 2010.
I like Inge; I really do. I think despite his numbers not landing him in the positive column for sabermetricians, he is a very good guy to have on a team and in a clubhouse.
Every team needs a glue guy on their roster. Inge is the Tigers’ glue guy.
That being said (cue Larry David), I don’t think I would have given Inge a two-year deal. It’s a very simple question. Would Inge have gotten a two-year deal on the open market?
The answer is no.
I think $5.5 million for Inge is a fair deal. He’s been around that value during the course of his career. However, in this day and age of veterans being phased out of baseball, Inge would have only gotten a one-year this offseason.
This year’s crop of third base free agents is weak, so perhaps the Tigers didn’t want to spend $10-15 million a year on Adrian Beltre and will spend their budget—all $60 million of it—on someone else like Adam Dunn or Cliff Lee.
If that’s their plan, then that’s their prerogative. I just wouldn’t have guaranteed Inge a second year.
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