Thomas will join fellow outfielders Brennan Boesch, Casper Wells, and Wilkin Ramirez with the MudHens, who will presumably try to also get outfield reps for Jeff Larish and Ryan Strieby, infielders by trade. Suffice to say, Hens manager Larry Parrish has his work cut out for him in divvying up those at bats.

In making this move, the Tigers chose the versatility of Don Kelly over the defensive prowess of Thomas. There is no question that Thomas is the superior glove man at all three outfield spots. But Kelly can also play three of the four infield positions reasonably well, something that took on greater importance for the team with the assumption that both third baseman Brandon Inge and second baseman Scott Sizemore would get a few extra days off early in the year.

Kelly gives the Tigers a left handed bat and good speed. He is a line drive hitter that showed a good amount of extra-base pop this spring. Thomas also had a fine camp, but a recent deep shoulder bruise kept him out of the lineup in recent days. From the sounds of things, it might not have mattered if he had been able to play, anyway.

So what do we think, Tigers fans? Is this roster (listed after the jump) capable of taking down the Twins and holding off the White Sox? Real life actual baseball is only a few short days away…

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Kelly Gets the Call, 25-Man Roster Complete - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Just so you know, last week’s poll about which of the pitchers would make the staff turned up the following results: With 545 votes cast, only 11% of you correctly predicted that Robertson would be the odd man out and both Dontrelle Willis and Eddie Bonine would make the team. Sadly, I was not in that 11%.

Let’s take a look at what’s happening around the Tigersphere, shall we?

Al Beaton of Bless You Boys has a very good recap of yesterday’s reactions. Thanks for the link, Al.

At the News, Tom Gage talks with Nate as he was leaving Lakeland. This is an excellent piece and makes me wonder once again why Lynn Henning gets so much more attention than Gage.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post has some thoughts about the upcoming season, Among them, Sherman says not to be surprised if Jacob Turner performs so well that he moves up to the top of the MLB prospect lists this year.

In other prospect news, TigsTown‘s Mark Anderson thinks Andy Oliver will likely begin the season with AA Erie, an aggressive start for last year’s second round pick.

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Morning Tracks: Nate’s Farewell, Notes on Oliver, Turner, and Kelly - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Not exactly overwhelming stuff when you have just traded your safety net.

But here’s where I’ll say don’t panic. Don’t panic.

That last line was as much for myself as for you. The trade of Nate Robertson opens up a whole big area for concern that wasn’t there two hours ago. We know that Willis has shown a great rebound from the woes of the past two years so far in camp, but we also know that those games don’t count for much of anything.

Simply put, Robertson’s presence allowed for a bit of security. Willis’ track record over the past few years is not one that inspires confidence. We all hope that Willis can be an effective pitcher once again, but all we have is that hope. Now, with Robertson no longer there as an option if Willis were to falter, the Tigers are left with just Eddie Bonine as a back-up plan.

Certainly Willis has every right to celebrate right now, however. Since coming to Detroit in the Miguel Cabrera trade, he has done nothing of note on the field while battling through his own personal bout with Steve Blass Disease and a related (I assume) anxiety disorder.

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Vindication For Willis - Motor City Bengals - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More