Detroit Tigers Links: TigerFest roster, Miggy’s health key, Max announced

The sure sign of the days being numbered for that snow on your roof and the nasty salt on your car is TigerFest held annually at a chilly Comerica Park.

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The Detroit Tigers are always good about making sure all of their stars (if healthy) are in attendance as they meet and greet the fans and discuss the upcoming season. Jason Beck provides the full roster of players who will be present next Saturday (Jan. 31) in Detroit.

One player who will not be at TigerFest is Miguel Cabrera. Like Justin Verlander from a year ago, Miggy will miss because of rehab from his injury. Drew Sharp thinks that the new-look Tigers will still be a force within the American League this season provided Miggy is healthy from Opening Day on.

Another player that will not be at TigerFest is Max Scherzer, who was officially announced as a member of the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Some of his comments are sure to rankle Tigers’ fans, but of course no athlete is going to say “I only came here for the money.”

In a couple of hours we will post a story about fan reaction to Max’s departure here on Motor City Bengals and tomorrow will have a Q&A session with the Nats’s site District On Deck to find out why and how they came out of nowhere to give Scherzer an offer he could not refuse.

Stay tuned.

TigerFest roster announced – Jason Beck, Beck’s Blog

Al AlburquerqueAlex AvilaWynton BernardNick CastellanosYoenis CespedesTyler CollinsRajai DavisBuck FarmerDaniel FieldsAnthony GoseShane GreeneBlaine HardyBryan HoladayJose IglesiasIan KrolKyle LobsteinDixon MachadoVictor MartinezJ.D. MartinezJames McCannSteven MoyaJoe NathanHernan PerezDavid PriceAndrew RomineBruce RondonKyle RyanAlfredo SimonChad SmithDrew VerHagenJustin VerlanderAlex WilsonJosh Zeid

Tigers fine if Miguel Cabrera returns 100% healthy – Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press

When he’s healthy, he’s happy. And he hasn’t been both since the summer of 2013 before a mild abdominal tear turned him into a shell of the offensive monster who ripped through American League pitching for the previous season and a half. Get that rocket-launching, run-driving beast back this summer and see how much better everything else looks. Even without Scherzer, the Tigers remain a superstar-driven team. And the brightest star remains the big fella entering the second year of that 10-year, $292-million contract extension he signed last winter.

Ex-Tiger Max Scherzer introduced as Washington National: ‘I want to win and that’s why I’m here’ – James Schmehl, MLive

“It’s pretty easy, and it’s one: winning,” Scherzer said when asked to address the factors in his decision. “I think this team is capable of winning and winning a lot.”Scherzer, who will turn 31 years old in July, didn’t mention the Tigers at any point during the press conference.Scherzer admitted to being “wowed” by Washington’s lucrative offer. But he said the opportunity to win played a larger role in his decision to join the Nationals, who are considered the favorite at 6-to-1 to win the World Series in 2015, according to online sportsbook Bovada. The Tigers are listed at 14-to-1.“When you look at near-term and long-term, this is an organization you want to be a part of,” Scherzer told reporters during his formal press conference in Washington. “I want to win and that’s why I’m here.”

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