No arbitration worries for Tigers: Boyd, Jones, Farmer, Norris all signed

Chris McCosky
The Detroit News

Detroit – The Tigers won't be sweating the arbitration process this year.

On Friday they signed the four remaining arbitration-eligible players to one-year contracts: pitchers Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris and Buck Farmer, as well as center fielder JaCoby Jones. 

Matthew Boyd

Boyd, who will go to camp as the ace of the Tigers' rotation, signed for $5.3 million. 

Norris, who projects to be in the Tigers’ rotation this season, will earn $2.96 million. Farmer, who finished last season as the club’s eighth-inning set-up man, agreed to a deal worth $1.15 million.

Jones, looking to re-establish himself as the everyday center fielder, is back for $1.575 million. 

Last week, the Tigers avoided arbitration with starting pitcher Michael Fulmer, signing him for $2.8 million. 

Boyd, whose name continues to be bandied about in trade rumors, finished sixth in the American League with 238 strikeouts last season. His 11.55 strikeouts-per-nine innings ranked fourth. 

Also, though, he led the American League allowing 39 home runs and his ERA after June 2 ballooned to just under 6.0 (5.58). 

Daniel Norris

Norris made a career-high 29 starts and threw 144.1 innings last season, re-establishing himself after two injury-plagued seasons. Though he was on an innings limit, his last eight starts – all of them limited to three innings – he limited opposing hitters to a .193 average and a .301 slugging percentage, allowing six runs in 24 innings.

Farmer became the workhorse of the bullpen last season, appearing in career-high 73 games, pitching 67.2 innings. In 34 appearances after the All-Star break, he limited hitters to a .195 average and had a 1.021 WHIP.

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Jones' season ended in early August last year after his left wrist was broken by a 95 mph fastball. He ended up playing just 88 games. Still, his .235 average, .430 slugging percentage and .740 OPS were career-highs. 

Fulmer, the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year who missed the entire 2019 season after Tommy John surgery, isn't expected to be back until after the All-Star break. 

Twitter @cmccosky