Following a three-year stint with the Cleveland Indians, Mike Aviles is headed to the Detroit Tigers on a one-year deal, the team announced.
ESPN's Buster Olney initially reported the deal.
The team has not disclosed the financial terms.
As his .231/.282/.317 slash line during the 2015 season indicated, Aviles doesn't have much upside to offer at the plate. Soon to be 35 years old, Aviles hasn't batted .250 in either of the last two seasons.
However, he wields plenty of versatility. A utility man in the truest sense of the word, Aviles played six positions in the field and served as a designated hitter last season. According to Baseball-Reference.com, he logged playing time at all three outfield spots, second base, third base and shortstop.
Cleveland used him mostly in left field, at the hot corner and at shortstop, where he played 227.2, 194.0 and 172.0 innings last year, respectively.
Prior to his three-year stay with the Indians, Aviles spent four years with the Kansas City Royals and a productive season-and-a-half with the Boston Red Sox.
A year removed from a last-place finish in the American League Central, the Tigers can't be faulted for making a move to improve their depth.
With that said, the signing will likely have ramifications when it comes to the team's spending—or lack thereof—in the days ahead.
"The reported agreement all but closes the door on a reunion with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes or the courtship of fellow big-name free-agent outfielder Alex Gordon, which seemed to be a possibility should their markets slip this winter," the Detroit Free Press' Anthony Fenech noted.
Aviles is unlikely to produce staggering numbers, but he's a low-risk, high-reward signing at this stage in his career who can offer stability at several spots as the Tigers seek to claw back into the playoffs.
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