Detroit Tigers Links 11/27/13: Jack Morris’ last chance & the Prince Fielder aftermath

Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Morris looking for final-ballot bounce into Hall of Fame – Barry M. Bloom, MLB.com

"“In my mind, the Hall of Fame is supposed to be a snapshot of every generation,” Jack Morris recently told MLB.com. “In my generation, I only won 40 more games than anybody else. I don’t know what that means, but apparently it doesn’t mean enough.”The right-hander, who won the World Series with Detroit, Minnesota and Toronto, and had 254 victories during his 18-year big league career, remembers all the anguish and the disappointment. So this year he said he may not be home hanging next to the phone with anticipation at the witching hour as he waits to learn whether his long personal nightmare will end.“I don’t know,” Morris said. “If something comes up I just might go on vacation.”"

Rangers introduce No 84, new 1B Prince Fielder – Sports Illustrated

"With his new team also comes a new jersey number. Prince Fielder will wear No. 84 with the Rangers, not the No. 28 he had worn through his 1,322 career games with Milwaukee (2005-11) and Detroit (2012-13).”It’s a new start I guess, and 84 is the year I was born. It’s just fresh,” he said. ”I think it works.”That also happens to be the last year the Tigers won the World Series."

Ian Kinsler not sure what number he’ll wear but plans to do the little things to help Detroit Tigers – Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press

"Ian Kinsler said the player that fans will get is an emotional one who likes to “scream, yell and jump up and down” and one that will try to do the little things to win, the little things that kept the Tigers from winning it all in the past.He doesn’t know what number he will wear — his customary No. 5 is retired by the Tigers for Hank Greenberg."

Trickle-down effect from trading Fielder may have Castellanos on the move again – Matthew B. Mowery, Dearborn Press & Guide

"The Detroit Tigers’ top prospect was surprised enough when he got the news Wednesday that teammate Prince Fielder had been traded to Texas, but smart enough to know what the trickle-down effect might mean for him — another position switch.“My dad told me yesterday, and at first, I thought my dad was kidding, because I was like ‘There’s no way we traded Prince Fielder.’ But it ended up being true,” Nick Castellanos said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM on Thursday.“Immediately, everything started swirling around third base. It was just kind of surreal. Very unexpected.”"

Bliss of Prince Fielder signing matches bliss of his departure – Matt Pelc, MCB Special to the Free Press

"This transaction does not only signal a move toward payroll flexibility — it also begins changing the look of the Detroit Tigers. Brad Ausmus added a bunch of coaches to his staff last week, most notably Omar Vizquel. The arrival of the future Hall of Famer signals that the Tigers want to be better on defense and quicker on the base pads. Kinsler will certainly help with both."

Brian Wilson Is a Perfect Fit for Detroit Tigers at the Right Price – Rob Goldberg, Bleacher Report

"The good news is that he excelled as a setup man last season, only allowing one run in 13.2 innings. He did not have the same velocity he used to, but Brian Wilson seemed to have better control with a strikeout-to-walk ratio far above his career average. While this was a small sample size, he still showed that he can get people out at the major league level.This makes him a perfect fit for the Tigers, who are looking to solve one of their biggest weaknesses from last season. Detroit ranked 24th in the majors with a 4.01 bullpen ERA to go with a 17-25 record."