Max Scherzer thanks Tigers fans with full-page ad

After five seasons with the Detroit Tigers, which included four straight postseason appearances and one Cy Young award, Max Scherzer is headed east for the next seven seasons after signing a new seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

It's the end of one chapter and the beginning of another for Scherzer, but before he offcially flips the page and dons his new uniform, he wanted to say a proper good-bye to Detroit. On Sunday, Scherzer did just that, taking out a full-page ad in the Detroit Free Press that thanked the Tigers organization and the fans in Detroit for their support over the years.

Scherzer's departure from Detroit had been anticipated since he turned down a substantial extension last March. It was mostly a matter of would Detroit look to trade him during the season for a large return, or let him walk following the season knowing a return was unlikely. General manager Dave Dombrowski opted for the latter, and now both parties will move forward.

With that said though, it's often a bittersweet moment when an athlete leaves behind the city where their career took off. That was clearly true for Scherzer as well.

Scherzer, who was traded to Detroit from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a major three-team that was headlined by Curtis Granderson going to the New York Yankees, finished his time in Detroit with an 82-35 record and a 3.52 ERA. He earned the Cy Young in 2013 after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA.

Overall, Scherzer is 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA in 207 major league appearances. He'll turn 31 on July 27.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813