Free-agent catcher Austin Romine reached a one-year, $4.1 million deal Thursday to join the Detroit Tigers, multiple outlets reported.
Romine, who has been the New York Yankees’ backup catcher each of the last four seasons, is a career .239 hitter with 25 home runs and 135 RBIs. He has played in parts of the last eight seasons, all with the Yankees.
The 31-year-old batted .281 for the Yankees in 2019 and has combined to hit 18 home runs with 77 RBIs over the past two seasons.
A move to Detroit is noteworthy since Romine and Tigers star Miguel Cabrera threw punches at each other and touched off a brawl in a 2017 game at Detroit.
Romine and Cabrera were ejected, as were six others in separate incidents in the same game. Andrew Romine, Austin’s brother, played for the Tigers at the time.
