TAMPA, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull no longer has anything to worry about within his organization, other than making a full recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Turnbull and the Tigers agreed to a two-year, $3.65 million contract Tuesday morning, avoiding an arbitration hearing, a source with knowledge of the financial details told the Free Press.
The 29-year-old will earn $1.5 million in 2022, then $2.15 million in 2023. He can add up to $125,000 in performance bonuses in 2023, when he is expected to be healthy for the start of the season.
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The two sides initially failed to strike a deal at the March 22 deadline for arbitration-eligible players to sign contracts for the 2022 season. He will be arbitration eligible again in 2024, his final year before becoming a free agent.
Before the extension, Turnbull and the Tigers were over $700,000 apart in negotiations, with Turnbull asking to receive $2.1 million for 2022 and the Tigers offering $1.325 million for 2022.
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Had they not reached an agreement, Turnbull would have been required to attend an arbitration hearing — where a panel of arbiters would choose one side or the other — at some point during the regular season.
He is expected to miss the entire 2022 campaign.
Turnbull is recovering from Tommy John surgery in late July. He threw the eighth no-hitter in franchise history in May and finished 2021 with a 2.88 ERA, 12 walks and 44 strikeouts over 50 innings in nine starts.
His 1.5 fWAR led the team’s starting pitchers.
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