JUPITER, Fla. -- Don Kelly wanted to re-sign with Detroit. He spent six years with the Tigers. He would've loved to make it seven.

But the opportunity in Miami was just too good to pass up.

"When you're (in Detroit) for so long and the success we had and the relationships we built, it's going to be tough not being there," Kelly said. "It was a tough decision."

Meeting with members of the Detroit media for the first time since signing a minor-league deal with the Marlins, Kelly explained his decision to turn down Detroit's minor-league offer this past winter in favor of a similar deal with Miami.

"Change is tough -- anytime you have change, especially when you've been in Detroit," said Kelly, a non-roster invitee at Miami's big-league camp. "Detroit was like a second home for us, so to make that change was tough."

A free agent this past winter, Kelly was targeted by a handful of teams, all willing to bring him to camp on a minor-league deal. The Marlins were one of those teams. So, too, were the Tigers. But given the makeup of Detroit's 40-man roster at the time, Kelly thought the path to get back to the majors was too congested.

Anthony Gose, Andrew Romine, Hernan Perez, Tyler Collins, Steven Moya -- Kelly looked like a surefire lock to open the season in Triple-A Toledo due to the surplus of infield and outfield depth in the Tigers' organization.

So the 35-year-old Kelly signed with the Marlins and returned to the National League -- a league that rewards versatility, speed and above-average defense.

"To be able to bounce around and everything that goes on in a National League game, that was one of the reasons why it was such a good fit," said Kelly, who will be used as a pinch-hitter, pinch-runner and late defensive replacement for Miami.

But the opportunity to crack the Marlins' opening day roster also played a big role in Kelly's decision. A career .232 hitter, Kelly has hit .286 with two RBIs in 15 at-bats this spring and is among five candidates competing for two bench spots.

"The way the roster was set up at the time, and the way Miami's was, it just seemed like a better fit to be in the NL and to be here ," Kelly said. "It's been good to be over here. It's a good opportunity. I've gotten to play all over the field."

Kelly is considered a strong candidate to earn a roster spot, but his chances at making the 25-man roster took a hit when the Marlins signed veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki to a one-year contract less than three weeks after Kelly inked a deal.

When Kelly's signing was made official in early January, many Tigers fans appeared to take the news of his departure hard. Kelly said the attention was humbling.

"I just went out and played hard, and you know what, I think the fans in Detroit respected that," Kelly said. "I gave them everything I had every day."

Now he's trying to do the same thing in Miami.

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