Report: Ilitch lost interest when Scherzer nixed offer

Somehow, some way, did you think that Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch would come to the rescue with his checkbook before Max Scherzer got away, like Ilitch always seems to do?

Not this time, as Scherzer agreed to that megadeal — $210 million — with the Washington Nationals on Monday.

And back in the spring, when Scherzer walked away from the table after the near-megadeal — $144 million — the Tigers threw his way, Ilitch pretty much did, too, according to foxsports.com's Jon Morosi.

"In his decades as owner of the Tigers and Red Wings, Ilitch rarely has failed to retain free agents he truly wanted to keep. Because of his vast wealth, loyalty to players and desire to win, Ilitch often spends more on stars than a team executive would suggest is reasonable," Morosi writes.

But "after Scherzer said no to that sum, sources say Ilitch never became fully re-engaged in trying to retain him — financially and perhaps emotionally, as well."

And for deals of this magnitude to go down, team owners have to be committed to them.

Morosi points out that Ilitch also broke with his pattern of reaching agreements with clients of agent Scott Boras. But that relationship still might be intact.

Morosi writes: "When I asked Boras Monday if there was anything he wished to say about Ilitch, he responded this way: 'One of the game's best owners who is always available to improve his team.'"

You can see Morosi's whole column here.

Contact Steve Schrader: sschrader@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @schradz.