By REED NELSON
FOXSportsDetroit.com
The Joel Zumaya saga is over in Detroit.
MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports that the hard-throwing, but oft-injured reliever has reached an agreement to pitch for the Minnesota Twins.
"That's where I'm gonna be," Zumaya told Beck. "I'm going to be seeing Detroit a lot."
According to the report, the deal could pay Zumaya anywhere from $800,000 to $1.7 million, depending where he clocks in on appearance-based incentives.
Zumaya showed promise during his rookie season, helping pitch the Tigers to the 2006 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He appeared in 62 games in ‘06, posting a 1.94 ERA and a 6-3 record. He also struck out 97 batters in 83 1/3 innings.
But injuries took their toll on Zumaya after his rookie season, and he made 30-plus appearances in a season only once, in 2010, after that.
He seemed to regain some of his dominant form that season -- 2.58 ERA, 34 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings -- before fracturing his pitching elbow against the Twins on June 28. He didn't throw for the Tigers at all in 2011.
Zumaya, 27, will be back in Detroit for a two-game set May 16-17.
