The Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with catcher Gerald Laird, according to reports from Ken Rosenthal. The recent news was that the Tigers considered Laird their top option as a backup catcher, and now confirmation from Rosenthal confirms they were able to get a deal done. Any other information regarding the signing is unknown at this time.
Laird was the top choice for Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski, who announced two weeks ago his intention of signing a right-handed hitting backup catcher. Laird spent this past season with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning a World Series with the team as the backup to Yadier Molina. Laird hit .232 with 12 RBIs and a home run in 95 at-bats last season.
In 2009 and 2010, Laird was the starting catcher for Detroit, with a batting average of .225 and .207 in each year, respectively. He caught 670 2/3 innings for the Tigers in 2010, but obviously would not get anything near that amount barring serious injury to Alex Avila.