Tigers, Victor Martinez agree on reported 4-year, $68-million deal

The Detroit Tigers have reportedly secured the services of designated hitter Victor Martinez.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the Tigers have agreed to bring back Martinez on a four-year deal worth $68 million. The agreement is pending a physical, according to Heyman.

Martinez was among the most coveted bats available in free agency and was said to be a top priority for the reigning division champs. He reportedly drew interest from several American League clubs, including the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.

At an annual average of $17 million a year, Martinez becomes the highest-paid DH of all-time.

The 35-year-old veteran is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, slashing .335/.409/.565 with a personal-best 32 homers in 2014. Martinez's .409 on-base percentage and .974 OPS paced all AL hitters.

Despite several teams reportedly pining for his services, Martinez was long rumored to wind up with the Tigers, who would have received draft-pick compensation had he signed with another club. Martinez rejected Detroit's $15.3-million qualifying offer earlier this week.

Re-signing Martinez is the first step in what promises to be a busy offseason for Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski. Detroit is expected to be in tough in its efforts to re-sign right-hander Max Scherzer and could be in the market for a new outfielder if Torii Hunter retires or signs with another team.