Though his contract is up after the season and he turns 34 years old later this month, Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann isn’t thinking about retirement, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports. Zimmermann said he thought about it “a few years ago,” but said he still has the drive to continue playing and he still enjoys the game.
Zimmermann inked a five-year, $110 million deal with the Tigers in November 2015. In the four years since, he has gone 25-41 with a 5.61 ERA and a 362/121 K/BB ratio over 508 2/3 innings. Among the 68 starters who have logged at least 500 innings since the start of the 2016 season, Zimmermann’s ERA is by far the worst. James Shields, next in line, posted a 5.16 ERA across 502 2/3 innings.
2019 was particularly brutal for Zimmermann. He dealt with a UCL sprain early in the season and finished 1-13 with a 6.91 ERA over 112 innings of work. He and Homer Bailey (2018) were the only starters in the past decade to start 20 or more games and record one or fewer wins. It’s been done six times total in the live ball era. The others: Ross Ohlendorf (2010), Ryan Rowland-Smith (2010), Pascual Pérez (1985), and Bob Miller (1962).