DETROIT (AP) — Matthew Boyd and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a $5.3 million, one-year deal on Friday.
The Tigers avoided arbitration with Boyd and all their eligible players. Detroit agreed to contracts for 2020 with left-hander Daniel Norris ($2,962,500), right-hander Buck Farmer ($1.15 million) and outfielder JaCoby Jones ($1,575,000). Right-hander Michael Fulmer agreed to a $2.8 million deal earlier in the week.
The 28-year-old Boyd went 9-12 with a 4.56 ERA last season. The left-hander was a bright spot for much of the year and finished sixth in the American League with 238 strikeouts. However, he also allowed an AL-high 39 home runs.
Boyd's salary goes up from $2.6 million, but if he can keep his strikeout total high and get the home runs under control, he could become a prime trade candidate for the rebuilding Tigers, who lost 114 games last season but have some highly regarded pitching prospects in their system.
Norris arrived with Boyd in the 2015 trade that sent David Price from Detroit to Toronto. Norris has battled injuries in recent years but was able to make 29 starts last season. He went 3-13 with a 4.49 ERA and earned $1.3 million.
The 28-year-old Farmer pitched almost exclusively in relief last year, going 6-6 with a 3.72 ERA. He gets a raise from $570,800.
Jones hit .235 with 11 homers and 26 RBIs in 2019. He's batted .211 in 286 major league games for Detroit. Jones made $567,100 last season.
