Torii Hunter signs 2-year deal with Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers agreed to a two-year contract with free agent outfielder Torii Hunter on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The deal, worth $26 million according to Jason Beck of MLB.com, won't be official until the 37-year-old has passed a physical.

Last season, Hunter batted .313/.365/.451 with 16 homers in 584 plate appearances for the Tigers. It was his lowest home run output ever in a season with over 500 plate appearances, but he also set a career-high in batting average and nearly posted the best on-base percentage of his 16-year career.

A longtime center fielder before age finally slowed him down, Hunter will presumably take over as the starting right fielder in Detroit. Even at 37, he should be able to provide a solid upgrade from the struggling Brennan Boesch, who simply couldn't keep up last season once pitchers had adjusted to his approach.

At $13 million per season, the Tigers are banking on Hunter maintaining a pretty high level of performance past his 39th birthday. He hasn't shown any signs of decline yet, but this is a significant investment from the Tigers once again.