Hessman broke the all-time record for homers in the minor leagues Monday night, hitting a seventh-inning grand slam -- the 443rd of his lengthy career in the minors.

While Hessman has never caught on in the majors, he's been the epitome of the Quad-A slugger for 20 professional seasons. At 37 years old, he's reportedly planning to move into coaching or managing soon, and now that he's broken the decades-old record previously held by Buzz Arlett, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Hessman hang 'em up at the end of this season.

Hessman signed a minor league contract with the Tigers on Saturday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Hessman is known for his big bat, having hit 28 home runs last season with Triple-A Toledo. He hasn't played in the majors since 2010 with the Mets, and the 36-year-old will likely just be organizational depth for the Tigers.

Tigers signed INF Mike Hessman to a minor league contract.

Hessman hasn't appeared in a major league game since 2010 and turns 36 years old in early March. He's a .240/.326/.495 career hitter in 1,207 games at Triple-A.

Reds signed INF Mike Hessman to a minor league contract.

Hessman, who turns 35 in March, batted .231/.301/.512 with 35 home runs and an .813 OPS in 123 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. He'll likely serve as organizational depth in 2013.

Mike Hessman has elected free agency.

Hessman once again mashed minor league pitching, smashing 35 homers and driving home 78 runs for Triple-A Oklahoma City, but did so while hitting .231/.301/.512. The 34-year-old slugger will once again seek a new opportunity.

Astros signed INF Mike Hessman to a minor league contract.

The deal does not include an invite to big-league camp. Hessman spent last season with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Pacific League. The 33-year-old has regularly mashed minor league pitching, but has a lousy .188/.272/.422 batting line over 250 plate appearances in the majors. He'll serve as organizational depth this season.

Mike Hessman has agreed to a contract with the Orix Buffaloes of the Japanese Pacific League.

Hessman has bashed Triple-A pitching mercilessly the last few years but has batted only .188/.272/.422 with 14 homers over 223 major league at-bats across five seasons. We wouldn't be surprised if the 32-year-old is a slugger in Japan.

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report from Sports Hochi which says that the Orix Buffaloes have interest in Mike Hessman.

Hessman elected to become a free agent after spending this past season in the Mets organization. The 32-year-old mashed again at the Triple-A level, but batted just .127 with one home run and 23 strikeouts in 55 at-bats with the big club. He looks like your prototypical Quad-A bat, so Japan could be an interesting alternative for him.

Mike Hessman has elected to become a free agent.

Hessman made his way to the major leagues this year after posting a solid .279/.356/.582 batting line and 18 home runs at Triple-A. He turns 33 before the start of next season but may draw some interest.

Mets purchased the contract of INF Mike Hessman from Triple-A Buffalo.

Hessman was batting .279/.356/.582 with the Bisons and sits among the league leaders with 18 homers and a 924 OPS. The 32-year-old infielder has a .208/.276/.476 batting line over 168 at-bats in the big leagues, all with the Tigers. He fits the profile of your classic Quad-A bat.