Tigers agree with four on one-year deals

Jan 21, 2009 - 12:36 AM DETROIT (Ticker) - The Detroit Tigers on Tuesday agreed to terms with four players on one-year contracts.

Pitchers Edwin Jackson, Joel Zumaya and Bobby Seay and catcher Gerald Laird agreed to deals for 2009, thereby avoiding arbitration.

Jackson, who was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade in December, notched a career high in wins with a 14-11 mark for the American League champions last year. The righthander made 31 starts, logging a 4.42 ERA.

Injuries cut short Zumaya's season in 2008, limiting the hard-throwing righty to 21 appearances. Zumaya is 8-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 140 innings in his three seasons with Detroit.

Seay finished 1-2 with a 4.47 ERA in a career-high 60 appearances with Detroit last year. The lefthander is 4-2 with a 3.89 ERA in three seasons with the Tigers, making 132 appearances.

Laird also was acquired in a trade in December. He threw out 36.6 percent of runners attempting to steal - the second-best percentage in the AL - and batted .276 with six home runs and 41 RBI.