Former Detroit Tigers starter Max Scherzer just signed a seven-year deal with the Washington Nationals, meaning he officially will not be a Tiger again in 2015.

While Scherzer did have a nice run in Detroit as what would inevitably be the Cornerstone of the Curtis Granderson trade along with Austin Jackson, the money told him to go elsewhere.

What this means for the Tigers, however, is that -- overall -- they lost Scherzer and fellow starter Rick Porcello but gained Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon.

Scherzer was 18-5 with 252 K's last year; Porcello was 15-13 with 129 K's. Total it all up, and the Tigers lost 33 wins, 18 losses, and 381 K's. What the Tigers gained is 15-10 with 125 K's from Simon,and Greene's limited 5-4 record with 84 K's. Total up the gains, and the Tigers get 20 wins and 14 losses with 209 K's. Overall, this means as of now, the Tigers' rotation is losing 172 strikeouts, and, after taking out the four-loss difference, are down nine wins from last year. 

There are many ways the Tigers could make up this difference. The most obvious option is to sign costless agent ace James Shields from the division-rival Kansas City Royals. The Tigers have been connected to Shields from many analysts as recently as Friday, and now that Scherzer is gone, the Tigers will surely be a finalist -- along with the Milwaukee Brewers -- for his services.

Last year, Shields had a 14-8 record with 180 K's. This would give the Tigers a plus-8 strikeout ratio, as well as five extra wins, not including taking away wins from Kansas City, which helps the Tigers even more. While he was not as good as Scherzer in the postseason, pitching in Comerica Park instead of Kaufmann Stadium would more likely than not improve those numbers. He finished the playoffs with a 1-2 record and 20 K's -- not exactly living up to his nickname of Big Game James.

Also of note, Shields would likely be only the #3 pitcher for the Tigers instead the top man as he was in Kansas City. Instead of going up against the number one starter, he would likely face #3's or even 4's. He would fit right in with a rotation of David Price, Justin Verlander, and Anibal Sanchez.

Another off-the-field benefit is that because he was a teammate of Price with the Tampa Bay Rays for a few years, the two have a very good relationship, and they could help convince each other to sign and stay in Detroit. Price is a costless agent after the upcoming season.

The most interesting statistic for Shields in 2014 was that he was 10-2 away from Kaufman, one of the best road pitchers in baseball, and he was a mere 4-6 at home despite giving up more runs on the road. Most importantly, however, was how he pitched at Comerica Park last year. He was 1-0 in 2 starts with a 2.03 ERA, 7 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, and 11 K's in holding the Tigers to a .156 batting average. Max Scherzer has a much larger sample size, but since that is whom Shields would replace, here are Scherzer's home stats at Comerika Park from last season:

11 -1, 2.68 ERA, 94.0 IP, 75 H, 28 HR, 28 R, 9 HR, 29 BB, 108 K's, .218 BAA.

Versus Tigers hitters, Shields actually out-pitched Scherzer in Comerica according to the BAA and ERA totals while Scherzer averaged much better strikeout rates with what -- in some cases -- was a much worse catcher. Without delving deep into advanced stats, on the surface it appears as though Shields would be a good replacement for Scherzer.

As for Shields's contract, it would likely take at least four years and $80 million to sign him, most likely more. Scherzer will receive $210 million from the Nationals over seven years, and Shields would save the Tigers three years on a four-year contract.

At this time, the Tigers' only major obstacles in signing Shields are as follows:

1) Does he want to sign with the Tigers after just pitching for Kansas City? It is not often a big-name costless agent changes teams inter-division.

2) Will Detroit offer more than Milwaukee?

3) Does general manager Dave Dombrowski pass on him thinking the pitching staff is good enough as it is?

4) Most importantly, is it worth it to part with a first-round draft choice to sign Shields?

The answers the these questions shall be revealed sooner, rather than later, as Shields's market will be boiling in the next few days -- or until he signs somewhere.