Catcher Alex Avila and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal.
The Detroit Tigers will be seeing a familiar face behind the dish next season, as they have signed catcher Alex Avila to a one-year contract. As Jon Heyman Tweets, the deal is worth $2 million.
Avila, who will turn 30 years old later this month, began his professional career with the Detroit Tigers. After the Tigers selected him in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, he quickly progressed through the minor leagues. In just over a year, he had reached the majors and immediately made an impact. Through an admittedly small sample of 29 games, he hit .279 with five home runs and a healthy number of walks at the young age of 22.
The catcher would spend the next few seasons in Detroit, but most of the years featured rather pedestrian statistics. 2011, however, was a standout year for the left-handed batter. That season, he slugged 19 home runs with a .295 batting average and .316 on-base percentage. His other power totals also came in higher than usual, and he ended the season with a weighted runs created plus of 140. FanGraphs valued his contributions at an excellent 4.6 wins above replacement.
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After posting several more average years, Alex Avila departed the Detroit Tigers and latched on with the Chicago White Sox after a disappointing 2015 season. Despite losing his starting job to catcher James McCann in 2015, the White Sox were willing to give him a shot. He appeared in 57 games and posted decent statistics in that time. While his batting average was rather lackluster, a high walk rate and solid power coupled with some decent defense salvaged his season. Ultimately, the White Sox decided that it would be better to go another way.
For Avila, returning to the Detroit Tigers is a special kind of reunion. Not only has he spent most of his career with them, but his family is also heavily involved with the team. His father, Al Avila, is the general manager of the Detroit Tigers and was the assistant general manager when his son Alex first joined the team through the draft.
Given that it is his father who is the general manager of the team that struck the deal with his son, some may rush to discredit it as a Christmas gift. As tempting as it may be to allow cynicism to take hold, we must all remember that baseball is a business. To avoid any conflicts of interest, Assistant General Manager John Westhoff negotiated the deal. The Detroit Tigers were also well-aware of the heavy fire they could face from fans if it seemed as if this was a gift to a son.
At the end of the day, the Detroit Tigers needed another catcher and another catcher they have.
