Free agent Rogers returning to Detroit
Associated Press
Kenny Rogers is staying right where he is.
The 43-year-old left-hander ended his free agency Friday and will return to the Detroit Tigers for a third season. Rogers agreed to a one-year deal, representing himself in contract negotiations.
"Kenny is a veteran presence that stabilizes our starting rotation," team president Dave Dombrowski said in a statement.
Rogers was 3-4 with a 4.43 ERA in an injury-shortened 2007 season for the Tigers after helping them reach the 2006 World Series.
He was limited to just 11 starts last season after having surgery to remove a blood clot from his left shoulder and repair arteries. He went back on the disabled list later in the year with inflammation in his elbow.
For the first time since 2001, Rogers did not win at least 13 games.
Some questioned Detroit's decision to give Rogers a $16 million, two-year contract before the 2006 season, but he and the team were validated. He put together a third straight season with an All-Star appearance and a Gold Glove award, helping the Tigers reach the World Series for the first time since 1984.
After going 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA during the regular season, Rogers held the New York Yankees, Oakland and St. Louis without a run in October. He became the first pitcher to have three scoreless starts in one postseason since Christy Mathewson in 1905.
But just when talk subsided about him pushing two cameramen in 2005 — a videotaped tirade that led to a suspension while he was with Texas — Rogers was at the center of another dispute.
Cameras showed a brown substance on his left hand in the first inning of Game 2 of the World Series, and St. Louis manager Tony La Russa brought it to the umpires' attention. Rogers' hand was clean when he came out for the second inning, and he went on to pitch shutout ball in Detroit's only victory of the Series.
Over 19 seasons, Rogers is 210-143 with a 4.19 ERA and is a four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner.