Jordan Zimmermann, Detroit Tigers reportedly agree to deal

Jordan Zimmermann and the Detroit Tigers have agreed on a deal, according to Jon Heyman on Twitter.

Zimmermann, 29, hit free agency this season for the first time after spending his entire career with the Washington Nationals, who picked him in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft.  With 16.8 bWAR over the past four seasons, Zimmermann has been a solid #2 starter for the Nationals, and has been viewed as one of the best choices among the second tier of free agent pitchers (with Zack Greinke and David Price occupying the top tier).

Heyman predicted 5 years, $115M for Zimmerman in his free agent prediction column, while Dave Cameron pegged Zimmermann at 7 years, $140 million.  We shall have to wait and see what the numbers actually look like.

With the departure of David Price and Max Scherzer the past two seasons, the Tigers had been identified as a team likely to look this offseason for someone to match up with Justin Verlander at the top of their rotation, and Zimmermann appears to fit the bill.

UPDATE -- Reports indicate that the deal is 5 years, $110M for Zimmermann.  That's less than what Heyman or Cameron projected, in terms of total dollars, and looks to me like a very solid signing for the Tigers.