The Tigers and Ryan Raburn have agreed to a two-year contract, keeping the outfielder from entering arbitration.
Raburn is coming off his best statistical season as a big-leaguer, batting .280 with 62 RBIs and 15 home runs last year. For his career, Raburn is a .274 hitter in 379 games.
Raburn’s signing pretty much sets the Tigers' outfield, which already includes Austin Jackson, Magglio Ordonez and Brennan Boesch.
UPDATE: Raburn's contract is worth $3.4 million, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. He was eligible for arbitration for the first time this year, but Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski has never gone to a hearing with a player during his tenure in Detroit.
Two years is sort of a surprising length on a deal for Raburn, but he's currently the favorite to be the starting leftfielder and the Tigers must believe he can win the job. If he ends up doing so, that contract is going to be a good value for Detroit.
Armando Galarraga and Joel Zumaya are the Tigers' other arbitration-eligible players. Hearings would be scheduled between February 1 and 18.