Detroit Tigers Links: Nonroster invitees, No Max is right, Ausmus the guy?

The Detroit Tigers invited a bunch of players not currently on the 40-man roster to join the Spring Break party in Lakeland during March.

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Among the notables is Joe Mantiply, a LHP who had a terrific Arizona Fall League; Jordan Lennerton to offer insurance at first base in case Miguel Cabrera is unable to go further on in Spring Training; and Joel Hanrahan who is still trying to come back after a lost season due to Tommy John Surgery.

Next up, MCB staffer Tom Zahari contributes his bi-weekly article to the Free Press supporting the Tigers non-movement on Max Scherzer. Several media reports verified what many of us suspected when Max signed with Washington that despite their frequent non-denial denials, owner Mike Ilitch did not authorize Dave Dombrowski to negotiate with Max at any point following him turning down the team’s $144 million offer from last year.

Finally, Joe White explores if Brad Ausmus is the guy for the Tigers job. Many of us criticized Ausmus’s sometimes on-the-job training last year but he did manage to get a team with a lousy bullpen and frequent injuries and inconsistency from the cornerstones of the franchise to the postseason.

This year will go a long way to judging Ausmus as a manager. Much more so than last year.

Tigers Invite 17 Players to Major League Camp – MLB Pro Blog

"Righthanded pitchers: Alberto Cabrera, Rafael Dolis, Joel Hanrahan, TimMelville, Luke PutkonenLefthanded pitchers: Omar Duran, Joe MantiplyCatchers: Miguel Gonzalez, Austin Green, Grayson Greiner, Manny PinaInfielders: Jordan Lennerton, Jefry Marte, Aaron Westlake, Josh WilsonOutfielders: Xavier Avery, Jason Krizan"

Letting Scherzer walk was right move – Tom Zahari, MCB special to Detroit Free Press

"Even if the Tigers had the money to sign Scherzer, his contract would still be regrettable. Clayton Kershaw is the only pitcher who has more money on his contract ($215 million). Justin Verlander‘s extension is 7 years, $180 million, and the Tigers believed Scherzer’s deal would be around that number. Verlander’s decline had to play a role in the Tigers’ minds, and they did not want to double dip on an expensive, long-term deal for a starter.With Scherzer’s market seemingly dwindling, I believed the Tigers were using James Shields as a smokescreen to force Scherzer to the negotiation table. At the end of October, I believed Scherzer would walk but, as time went on and the market started to dwindle, the Tigers’ chances of resigning Scherzer kept rising."

Is Brad Ausmus the right guy? – Joe White, iSportsWeb

"Ausmus showed his vulnerability a few times throughout the year when he would let the likes of Scherzer talk him out of giving the hook when his starter appeared to be on the ropes. And given the alternatives, maybe it’s impossible to fault Ausmus for this, but when he would leave his starters in during situations like this it rarely ended well.However, ask yourself this: had he gone to the pen, would it have been any different?"

Next: A look at the 2015 starting rotation for Detroit Tigers