Tigers exercise $5.4M option on Avila

The Detroit Tigers announced Monday that the club has exercised their $5.4-million option on catcher Alex Avila for the 2015 season. 

Detroit had until Thursday to decide on Avila's option or decline it for $200,000 and send him to salary arbitration. It was reported earlier in the month that the Tigers were considering declining the option in hopes of signing him for less. 

"I'm happy they did (pick up the option)," Avila told Chris Iott of MichiganLive, "and I'll be ready to go for next season."

Avila dealt with concussion issues on three separate occasions over the past two seasons that sidelined him for a combined nine games. The 27-year-old downplayed any long term concerns in October saying that he received a CT Scan and MRI that checked out normal. 

One of the best defensive catchers in the majors, Avila has seen his offensive production continue to decline since his first and only All-Star appearance in 2011.