Torii Hunter signs two-year deal with Tigers

Torii Hunter said he wanted to find his future employer sooner rather than later.

He wasn't lying.

The 37-year-old outfielder signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon, officially ending his five-year association with the Los Angeles Angels. The contract was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports with Bob Nightengale of USA Today filling in the financial details.

Hunter is coming off a solid season that saw him hit .313/.365/.451 with 16 homers and 92 RBIs. His presence will provide the Tigers the corner outfielder they badly needed and a good veteran voice in the clubhouse. It's a solid signing for the Tigers considering the money is almost a carbon copy of the value-laden deal Carlos Beltran signed with the St. Louis Cardinals last offseason.

[Related: Ultimate MLB free-agent rankings 2012-13]

Hunter earned $90 million and made two All-Star teams over five seasons in Anaheim but was reportedly upset with the "disrespectful" offer the Halos had on the table. Emotions aside, it was almost a foregone conclusion Hunter would be headed elsewhere considering the Angels' young trio of outfield talent — Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos — combined with the $42 million anchor weight the team still owes Vernon Wells. Los Angeles did not give Hunter a qualifying one-year offer by the Nov. 2 deadline, a procedure that would have guaranteed the outfielder $13.3 million had he accepted, or draft pick compensation for the Angels had he signed elsewhere.

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