Detroit Tigers Links: Miggy’s mammoth deal, DD apologizes to Max, & figuring out the bullpen

Mar 10, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) jokes with one of the St. Louis Cardinals coaches after getting a base hit at Roger Dean Stadium. The Tigers defeated the Cardinals 17-5. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Did Tigers overpay for Miguel Cabrera? Future market, effects of age will tell – Chris Iott, MLive

"Well, it is. But, as we noted before, it might not seem like as much money in another eight or 10 years. This year’s “holy crap!” contract might not be next year’s bargain. But with the way the market keeps climbing, it might not be as shocking at the end as it is today.Did the Tigers do the right thing by reaching an agreement with Cabrera on this massive deal? Time will tell. It seems like two or three too many years to me.But something tells me the majority of Tigers fans don’t care either way. They’re just thrilled that the best hitter in the majors will be on their team for a long, long time."

Of course they overpaid for Miguel Cabrera, but if you look around baseball–everyone is overpaid and if Detroit hadn’t shelled it out for him, someone else would have. I agree that the contact is a tad bit long, but it’s not often you have a player of Cabrera’s caliber on your team.

I get it, even though it’s not “our” money, it’s a lot of money–and dollars that us normal folk cannot even comprehend, but its the reality of where sports is right now.

Dave Dombrowski meets with Max Scherzer to clarify contract situation: ‘We think the world of him’ – Iott

"“I just wanted to make sure he heard from me directly,” Dombrowski told MLive early Thursday evening. “Max Scherzer is a wonderful person. He is a tremendous human being. We think the world of him. We wanted to make sure he knows how highly we think of him.”“We talked about how things were handled,” Scherzer told Jason Beck of MLB.com. “He said he regretted how some things went down. … He said he wanted to make sure he conveyed to fans he was doing his job (and) could see how some things put me in a negative context.”"

I am still quite surprised that the Tigers released that statement, but I can understand the team’s frustration. It’s good to see the parties mending fences even if it wasn’t necessary. One thing is for sure, however, it seems all but certain Max will be pitching elsewhere in 2015 after Miggy’s shot heard ’round the world on Thursday evening.

Detroit Tigers’ Evan Reed, Luke Putkonen win bullpen spots, but ‘anything can happen’ with roster before Opening Day – John Lowe, Detroit Free Press

"This morning, the Tigers sent two relievers to minor league camp: left-hander Blaine Hardy and right-hander Jhan Marinez. Those moves not only set the bullpen for now; they also got the Tigers down to the 25-man roster limit for the regular season.After Wednesday’s game, manager Brad Ausmus made this statement about the bullpen: “The bullpen is evolving, other than Joe Nathan. I would love to say that I have an eighth-inning guy, a seventh-inning guy, a left-handed guy, a long guy. But that’s not how it’s worked out.”"

I’m not really sure what could possibly happen between now and March 31. Not many great relievers are out there, so more than likely, barring a trade, this is your Detroit Tigers bullpen. Sorry, did I just cause you a Maalox moment?

Detroit Tigers opt to keep Phil Coke, and he shows them why – Lowe

"Not long after 2 p.m., Coke showed why the Tigers continue to think he is a worthwhile investment. He entered an exhibition against the Philadelphia Phillies with one out in the seventh, a runner on second and the Tigers ahead, 1-0. Coke walked his first hitter, left-handed slugger Ryan Howard. He struck out right-handed Marlon Byrd and retired lefty-swinging Tony Gwynn Jr. on a fly ball.It was Coke’s sixth straight scoreless appearance. In 10 spring outings, he has a 3.72 ERA."

Coke bounced back pretty well in the Spring after starting out ice-cold and many of us thinking he’d be gone by this point. Of course pitching well in Spring Training is a whole lot different from the regular season, where Coke has done nothing but struggle since joining Detroit. One could argue his only shining moment was not in the regular season, but the 2012 ALCS. And we’d all love to see that Phil Coke back.