The Tigers are close to signing third baseman Brandon Inge to a four-year, $24 million contract.
Inge was due $4 million-$5 million in his final year of arbitration, so the Tigers will be buying out his first three years of free agency for about $20 million. Although Inge has put up respectable numbers three years running, he still hasn't posted an 800 OPS over a full season. If he stays at the same level he's at now, he's a solid regular, in no small part because of his excellent defense. Still, the drop-offs in his average and OBP the last two years aren't great signs.
Source: Detroit Free Press