Torii Hunter signs one-year deal with Minnesota Twins
Free agent outfielder Torii Hunter signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins, the team announced.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Tuesday that Hunter's deal is worth $10.5 million. Minnesota's offer was reportedly greater than an offer Hunter received from the Texas Rangers.
Hunter, who spent the past two seasons with the Detroit Tigers, had said after Detroit was swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Divisional Series that he was seriously considering retirement. It was reported last month that at least 10 teams were interested in signing Hunter if he chose to keep playing.
In signing with the Twins, Hunter is returning to the franchise for which he played the first 11 seasons of his career. After Minnesota selected him in the first round of the 1993 MLB draft, Hunter debuted with the Twins in 1997 and went on to play for the team through the 2007 season, making All-Star appearances in 2002 and in his final year with the franchise.
Over his 11 seasons in Minnesota, Hunter hit .271 with a .793 OPS, 192 home runs and 126 stolen bases. He also won seven Gold Gloves.
In 2008, Hunter signed a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He just completed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Tigers.
Over his 18-year career, Hunter has been an All-Star five times, won nine Gold Gloves and played for eight playoff teams. The 39-year-old hit .286 with a .765 OPS, 17 home runs and 83 RBI for the Tigers in 2014.
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The Twins went 70-92 last season and finished in last in the American League Central. The team fired manager Ron Gardenhire after the season and replaced him with former Twins player Paul Molitor.
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