He didn't get the contract he apparently wanted, so maybe there was a way to get him.
If they had Flaherty and Chapman all season, there very well may have been another good reason for him to be in Detroit.
Edit: I remembered incorrectly. "He actually did get a good contract: 6 years 150 million".
So, the Tigers probably would have had to go 7 years to get him which would have been way too long.